Remember to Breathe
by StarlightNights
Summary: Bella doesn’t believe in love. Edward relies on it to woo women into bed. Where will they end up one year and one bet later? Will they be able to change each other? Is change possible? Or are some things better left unchanged? AU-AH
1. Intro: Pretty Lies

**Intro  
Pretty Lies**

**-Bella-**

I, Isabella Marie Swan, have given up on love. Well, I guess you really can't give up on something that doesn't exist.

I mean, I love my father. And I love my mother. And I love the few people that I call my friends. But when it comes to that "I'll love you always and forever" bullshit they feed you in the movies…I simply can't bring myself to believe in it. And why would I? I've never seen two people that have ever truly been in love.

My parents divorced when I was still just a baby. My father has stayed single. He may have dated. In fact, it would be pretty sad if he didn't. But I wasn't around much, so I couldn't really say for sure. But nothing was ever serious for him. When my mother left him, she left him in pieces.

My mother always had a problem. She got bored easy. It wasn't just with jobs or hobbies. It was with everything, relationships included. And when she divorced Charlie, she decided she didn't just get bored with him. She was bored with the entire city. The entire state, even. So she packed us up and moved to Phoenix.

My mother has gotten engaged. That's when I decided it was for the best if I got out of there as fast as I could. I couldn't take their lovey dovey looks at each other. It was pure repulsion. I don't know if I would say Renee really loves Phil. Hell, sometimes I question if she even really likes him. So I moved in with Charlie and enrolled in community college out here in Forks, Washington.

Renee, like a lot of women, is in love with the idea of being in love. But she gets bored so easily. She has always been that way. I think when she agreed to marry Charlie, she thought that somehow the ring on her finger would make all of that stop. Simply by saying I do, she thought that their love for each other would be permanent. Needless to say, it wasn't even close. So when she got that familiar itch of boredom, instead of just packing it up and moving on like she always had in the past, she decided that maybe having a kid would help. It didn't. Not to say that she doesn't love me. I know she does, in her own way. I might be the only person that she had been able to love for longer than a year at a time.

Renee always had a man in her life. She always needed someone to lean on. A lot of the time, that someone was me. It made me grow up real fast. But for the most part, I like who I am today, so I can't complain. In those awkward in-between phases when she didn't have a man, she was almost intolerable, using me as a crutch far too much. I didn't get a life at those times. My life was making Renee feel better about her being single. But that's just the way Renee is. And I don't think I would have it any other way. If she was like any of the other mothers, just trying to settle into their boring and mediocre lives with a plastic smile on her face, I would have turned out just like all the other daughters. A lovesick girl desperately seeking the love and affection of all the boys. I might actually convince myself that I was in love with one of them. But thank God, that will never happen to me.

And I guess the way Renee used to go through guys kind of rubbed off on me. Because I myself have been known to go through men. I find them disposable. Men are good for a one time roll between the sheets before I throw them out the door, sometimes still undressed. I guess I should feel bad about that but I don't.

Renee never seemed to notice my behavior. Or if she did, she didn't care. Charlie is turning a blind eye to it, too. I'm sure he notices, he is the chief of police after all. He is trained to notice things, even small things. But I guess he would just rather pretend it isn't going on than address it. Because what would be the point anyway. I have 20 years worth of Renee's teachings in my mind. A ten minute talk with Charlie isn't going to reboot my thinking at all.

I know, you're all skeptical. How can I not believe in love when it is all around me? People holding hands in the park. Sharing long embraces and quick kisses. But I don't believe it. Love is a myth. You can't prove its existence. You have to go off of blind faith. And that is something that I just do not have. There is no test you can take to prove you're in love. I know that doesn't prove my point for me and I know there are a million arguments against my point of view. But I am sticking to it. Because for every person that you say you fall in love with, there is a heartbreak soon to follow. You get bored, like Renee. Some people have affairs. Some fight over finances. Some just grow to realize that beyond the sex, there isn't a single redeeming quality about their significant other.

Bravo to everyone who tries to prove me wrong. I know there are couples out there who do it. There are those who have done it. I've been told that my grandparents were in love, staying happily married until their dying day. I give people like that all the credit in the world. But people say a lot of things; that doesn't make them true. And it doesn't prove me wrong. Just because you can stay with someone your entire life, it doesn't mean you're in love. It simply means that you are an amazing actor, putting on a very convincing show. And I get it. Sometimes it's just easier to settle in and fake it than move on and pretend to do the entire thing over again. But that's why I prefer to just avoid the whole mess in the first place.

And since moving away from Phoenix (and my mother, in her sickening fake newlywed bliss) and to Forks with my father, my new best friend Alice has loved too many guys for me to keep count of. And in the end, her heart always gets broken and she spends the next few days doing nothing but wishing STDs on that special guy over a pint of cookie dough ice cream.

So why waste my time on something that doesn't exist? Love is a lie. A pretty lie, but a lie none the less. I'm not going to give love a try and search for Mr. Right. And just to set the record straight, it's not because I'm gay. I'm not searching for Mrs. Right either. And just so you don't think I'm a homophobe, I don't think there is anything wrong with homosexuality. If you are naive enough to believe in love, then by all means love whomever you want. It's love that I have a problem with. I just think there's something wrong with love. Or at least the concept of love. I don't need someone else to complete me or to make me happy. If I can't do that myself, how the hell would anyone else be able to do it?

And to everyone out there saying, "it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." Fuck you. Fuck you and your fake fairy tale happiness. Good luck with that. Because you will never find it. You will never be happy until you come to realize that… love is a myth, a fable, something fabricated for storybooks and movies. Something everyone believes in just because it sounds nice. Because they all want it to be true. Because they all want that happily ever after they see in fairy tales. Call me a pessimist but I'm not going to suppress myself to psychotic episodes of living in a fantasy world where love is real. It's all just a bunch of crap.

And to everyone thinking that all this is because I've been badly scorned in the past, think again. I've never been in love, never even been close. Every time one of my relationships ends, I breathe a sigh of relief. Sure it's nice to have someone to tell you that you're beautiful and to make out with. But when it comes to the romanticism that is supposed to accompany a relationship, the cards, the candies, the roses, the late night phone calls just to say hello…When I see the first signs of that, it's over. I bail before they can even think of admitting how in love they _think_ they are with me. I don't want to have to deal with it. I'm all about fun and games. And when the fun and games are over and the seriousness starts, I move on to the next guy looking for some fun and games.

And when I say fun and games, I mostly mean sex. I enjoy sex. I enjoy it a lot. And it has nothing to do with love, contrary to popular belief. Love and sex are two completely different things. You can 'love' someone and not have sex with them and you can have sex with someone and not love them, but a lot of people don't see that. Sex doesn't have to be complicated with the intimate strings of love. But too many people make it that. Especially their first time. That's what happened with Jacob. But that is another story for another time.

And what the fuck is love anyway? That can't eat, can't sleep, can't think kind of feeling every one talks about? I wouldn't know. But if that's what it is, it doesn't sound too pleasant to me. Why does everyone think that love will make everything better? If you enjoy being a dumb, anorexic insomniac then sure, maybe it will make some things better. But eventually the love that was once beautiful will fade away and you'll see that the way he snores isn't endearing at all. Or maybe that 'friend' he keeps going to football games with is much less of a friend and more like a mistress and those football games are really just a friendly codename for sex. Maybe it won't happen like that but you get what I'm saying. Or maybe you don't. Maybe you're one of the idiots that believe that somewhere out there is your one true love, just waiting to sweep you off your feet and carry you off into the sunset to his castle.

And quite honestly, I think when someone finally does tell me that they love me, I'll either spontaneously combust or I'll go temporarily insane and murder them. Either way, the problem's solved and I won't have to deal with it.

**-Edward-**

I, Edward Anthony Cullen, am in love. Well, at least that's what I told the lucky lady of the night, to get between her legs. Just because I said it doesn't mean I actually meant it.

Just another night, just another easy girl that I won't be able to remember come morning. Or sometimes, like tonight, I've already forgotten her name as soon as her panties hit the floor. I don't do this every night, but I am a guy. I do have needs. And this is all very routine for a guy like me. Find an attractive girl, buy her a drink, whisper sweet nothings in her ear, tell her she's the most beautiful girl you've ever laid eyes on. Tell her that pretty lie that every guy tells as your hand delicately grazes her thigh. Tell her that you love her until she finally gives in. Then fuck her and move on. Do I feel guilty? Sometimes. But I know I'll do it again anyway. Why let something like a conscience stand in my way of some good physical release?

Love. A word that has no indifference. It'll either make you all warm and fuzzy inside or make you run to the nearest bus stop and get as far away from it as possible. Consequently, it's a four letter word. One of those evil words that you're supposed to avoid. One of those words that you're never really supposed to say, unless you're willing to pay the consequences. Thankfully, I've been able to avoid all the consequences and just get the instant gratification that it brings. I'm one lucky son of a bitch.

The word itself has really lost its meaning to me. I've said it too many times without meaning it. But I'm not the only one. I've known many men to use this tactic. I think it's something in the male genes. Hell, I've even known a few women to use that trick. It's the one thing that'll practically guarantee sex. Make the lucky girl not feel like the whore that probably she is for fucking a guy she's only known for a few hours (and if you're really lucky- minutes). And in the morning, when I'm gone, she can believe that I'll call that number she gave me and when two weeks pass and I still haven't called, she can cry to her best friend and tell her that I'm an asshole. But hey, I got what I wanted. It's not my fault she chose to believe my lies. You really think that women would catch on by now.

I guess I always had an issue with love. Being adopted kind of makes you question yourself a little bit. Was there something wrong with me? Am I worth being loved? Sure I got adopted by a very kind and caring man. And he did his best to raise me well. But there is still the pain of abandonment that lingers. It doesn't matter how much Carlisle loves me. Or how much attention he pays me. None of that matters. All that matters is why someone once found you unworthy of their love. I guess I'll never know the answer but I still find myself thinking about it quite often.

And over the years, as I've grown older, I guess I've come to judge how much people love me by how much women want to sleep with me. Easy girls have daddy issues. Promiscuous guys have mommy issues. Now allow me to do my best Freud impression and give you my theory on my mommy issues. It boils down to me never having a mother to love me. Some watered down and way less creepy version of the Oedipus complex or something. I just use these random strings of girls to fill that void left by any mother figure. Not that it does. I sometimes doubt that is the problem. I'm not a psychologist after all. Who knows, maybe I just really like sex.

And before you begin to think that I'm just about sex, I'm not. I've been in love. At least I think I have. Who hasn't? Sometimes you get so wrapped up in the moment that it just happens when you're not paying attention. And I have kept girls around in the past. I have had a select few girlfriends. And surprisingly enough, I've never cheated on any of them. I've always been kind enough to pick up the phone and break up with a girl before I ever get into bed with another woman. Sometimes I've cut it close. So close that all of my clothes are lying in a pile on the floor and I'm already in bed when I make the call. But the sex hasn't happened yet so it doesn't count. But in the end it's always the same sad story. Sometimes things just don't work out. It's run its course. Sparks fade and we move on. It's all natural.

But the routine is getting kind of old. These girls are boring and tired. They're all beginning to blend in. Cyndi…Tiffany…Debbie… They're all the same. Nice hair. Nice tits. Nice body. Below average intelligence. They all think they're going places. But in the end, all they're going is into some lucky guy's bed. And the sad part is, it's not even hard anymore. The game is getting a little easy. I've practically perfected this approach. They practically fall at my feet with their legs in the air. It's too easy. I need someone to challenge me. Make me work for it. That's where half the fun is. The thrill of the hunt.


	2. 1: Bring Your Alibis

**Chapter 1  
Bring Your Alibis**

**-Bella-**

I hear a soft whimper from beside my bed and I roll over and look at the clock; 2 p.m. Jet lag sucks. I know, the trip from Phoenix to Forks isn't really all that bad for me to be jet lagged. It's probably just a hangover that I'm nursing. But I will blame it on the plane if I want to.

Suddenly there is a heaviness on my chest, making it difficult for me to breathe and a pair of sad brown eyes appear. "Woof." I sigh and push the overly excited chocolate lab off of me before petting his head. I sit up and he jumps up excitedly, his tail hitting my nightstand repeatedly. "Settle down, boy," I command him as I step into my fuzzy pink slippers and walk down the stairs in my tight white tank top and boxers. I give him a bowl of food and fresh water but he continues to whine at my feet. "You have to go outside don't you?" He jumps on me excitedly, almost knocking me over, barks loudly and runs to the back door. "Woof." I whine, seeing the foot of snow covering our small back deck. "You better be quick." I say as I slide open the door and let him out.

I watch him run around, playing in the snow, occasionally eating a mouthful. I wrap my arms around myself and shiver. I need to readjust myself to the cold. I pick up a note from my father and quickly read it.

_Glad you're finally home, Bells. I hope your flight wasn't too bad. Alice said she was stopping by to see you later, she said she had some big news. I'm out fishing, I'll be back before dinner._

_  
Charlie_

Typical Charlie. He was a man of few words.

When I look back outside, there is no sign of my dog. I slide the door open a little and slip my head out. "Woof!" I shout. But of course my dog isn't going to listen. I whistle, hoping that would get his attention, but of course it doesn't. I groan and step outside into the blistering cold.

**-Edward-**

I jump up and down a few times, trying to regain feeling in my body before I grab the last box from the truck. She couldn't move in the summer, like a normal person. And of course, I had to offer to help. I should be in bed sleeping, like everyone else. The day I come back to town and I'm out in subzero temperatures, carrying heavy boxes. I didn't get home until 7 a.m. after driving all night. I haven't slept yet. And I'm supposed to be the guest of honor at a party tonight. This day is going to blow.

"Thanks for your help, Edward," she smiles at me.

"Anytime, Tanya." I return the smile as she walks into the house. The nice, warm house. I fix my grip on the box before I drop it and take a step towards the house but I feel something run into my leg. "What the…" I turn and see a dog. A big dog.

"Woof!" I hear a female voice call.

"I take it that's you." I say to the dog who just stares at me with a confused expression. Who knew dogs could look confused?

"Woofus!" She calls again and this time the dog barks. "I'm sorry, Mr. Dar-" But the voice suddenly stops. I look up slowly and from the snow bank a pair of slender legs appear, connecting to a pair of men's boxers and a tight white tank top barely covering the woman's perky breasts. "Sorry," she apologizes quickly, crossing her arms against her chest. My eyes finally travel up to her face. Fair skin, long, dark hair with a hint of curl and chestnut eyes. Nice. The type of girl I seek out when I want to have a little fun. "I didn't know the Darcey's moved out yet."

**-Bella-**

This is a great way to meet the new neighbors. In your pajamas, at 2 in the afternoon, while you watch your dog sniff the new neighbor's crotch. "Woofus, no!" I chastise, waving my finger at him, but he doesn't look too threatened by the gesture. He gives me a sad look and whimpers before he turns back to the new guy. "I'm sorry. He's usually better behaved." I rub my hands up and down my arms trying to generate some heat. I will kill this dog for making me chase after him in this weather and this outfit.

"It's alright." He smiles at me. He's got a nice smile, beautiful green eyes and messy bronze hair. The kind of guy that every girl dreams of being with. Well, almost every girl.

I move around, trying to keep myself warm but I already lost feeling in my toes. Fuzzy pink slippers aren't exactly great in the snow. He puts the box he's carrying into the truck and turns back to me. He holds out his hand, but it falls to his side before I can shake it. But then I notice his body shaking, not from the cold but from my dog, humping his leg. I bite my lip and try to hold back my laughter, but it's useless. "Woofus, no!" I yell, but it doesn't sound too threatening when you're laughing at the same time. But why would he suddenly start listening to me? The guy gives me a look pleading for help and I couldn't help but smile at him. "Bad dog." I reach for the dog's collar and pull him away roughly. "I guess that means he likes you. I'm sorry. I really shouldn't be laughing." I cover my face with my numb hands.

"Nah, it's alright. I'd be laughing too if my leg wasn't the object of his affection." He runs his fingers through his hair and laughs softly. "But since we're already intimate, I think introductions are in order." He bends down and takes Woofus's paw in his hand. "Edward."

"Woofus," I say, struggling to hold him as he tries to lunge at Edward and lick his face.

"That's an interesting name." He arches a brow.

I shake my head and try to keep myself from blushing. It's not very easy but the extreme cold outside seems to be helping. "I always wanted a dog when I was little. But my mom was allergic so I never got it. But when I moved in with my father a few months ago , he decided to surprise me with a dog. He always wanted to name our hypothetical dog Rufus, only problem was I had a little lisp back then. So my r's became w's. He thought that somehow the name Woofus was perfectly clever and it stuck. Yeah, I know. It sounds really dumb."

"Nah," he shakes his head. "It is pretty clever." He turns his attention back to the dog. "Nice to meet you, Woofus." Edward scratches behind the dog's ears before he stands and looks at me with those beautiful brown eyes.

He holds out his hand again and I accept it. "I'm Bella by the way."

**-Edward-**

"Very nice to meet you, Bella." I offer her my award winning crooked smile. And that is the lamest flirting I have done in a long time. God, I'm acting like such a dork. When did I start acting like such a dork? Maybe it's the lack of sleep.

"You too." She smiles at me. It's a beautiful smile.

"So what brings you out into the cold?" I want to smack myself upside the head right now. I know why she's out here. The damn dog that won't stop humping my leg.

"You." Wow. Or maybe not. I haven't known a girl to be that open about it yet. I guess I've underestimated my sex appeal. I raise my eyebrow and her eyes grow wide. Then again, maybe not. "Well, it was my dog. And then you." She quickly explains, her hands flailing as she continues to explain herself. "Not like you as in, I want you. You as in, I'm talking to you." She covers her face with her hands once more to hide her blushing cheeks, but they're already red from the cold anyway. "Oh God. I'm sorry. I have a horrible habit of talking too much." She groans and laughs for a minute before speaking again. "I think it's time for me to go home." She nods, her body shaking from the cold. "I can't feel my body anymore."

"Oh, sorry. Here." I start to take off my jacket but she stops me.

"It's alright. I just live right there." Bella nods her head to the house behind her.

"Edward, you coming in?" Tanya calls from inside the house.

"Yeah," I shout over my shoulder. "In a minute." I turn back to Bella. "I'd offer to let you inside but Woofus would have to wait out here. She's allergic to dogs."

"Your girlfriend?" she asks softly, rocking back on the balls of her feet.

I laugh a little. That would be weird. "She's my cousin." But she's fishing for information. Good sign.

"Oh," Bella nods. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Edward." She extends her hand. "But I have to get inside before I freeze to death." She smiles sweetly and I take her cold hand in mine, shaking it lightly.

"It was nice meeting you too."

"I guess I'll be seeing you around. Woof, come," she commands, slapping her taunt thighs twice. "Bye, Edward." She waves over her shoulder as she disappears, Woofus trailing behind her slowly.

I grab the box from the truck again and turn to the house but quickly turn back and look in the snow where there is a small pink patch that has caught my eye. I skillfully grab the slipper without dropping the box and walk into the house quickly, smiling as the feeling slowly begins to return to my limbs.

"What were you doing out there?" Tanya looks up from the box she's unpacking.

"Meeting your neighbor," I shrug. "She seems nice."

"She? Nice?" She lifts an eyebrow at me.

"And she's attractive," I elaborate, rolling my eyes. "And now that I've regained feeling to my body, I'm going back outside." I grab the slipper from the top of the box. "She left her slipper."

"How convenient," Tanya rolls her eyes.

"Stop it!" I shout, glaring at her.

"What?" she shrugs innocently. "My cousin, the lady-killer."

"Shut up," I roll my eyes. "Do you really want to hear about any of my sexual exploits? Because I don't want to hear about yours. Not that I think you'd be able to find someone that would want to sleep with you."

"Shut up!" she shouts, throwing something else at me. "Just go home. You're not helping anymore. You're just bothering me."

"My pleasure. I have some unfinished business to attend to anyway," I smirk and wave the fuzzy pink slipper in her face.

"Edward, no. Leave her alone." She groans in frustration knowing I cannot be stopped. "Please don't make my neighbors hate me!" She calls out after me in defeat. I just laugh and walk out the door.

**-Bella-**

I quickly throw off my wet socks and slippers, or should I say slipper; I must have lost one outside. Not that I could notice something like that considering my entire foot was numbed from the cold. It's far too cold to go and find it. I'll get in the spring, after all this damn snow melts. I quickly change into something a little warmer before walking back into the kitchen and jumping onto the counter, dialing the familiar number. I don't even wait for the response. "Hey, Alice."

"Hey. How was your flight?" she asks, excited to hear from me.

"Boring," I sigh. "So I heard you had some news." I sigh again, hearing a rapping at the back door. "Ugh," I groan, jumping from the counter. "Call you back." I hang up the phone and walk to the back door, to find Edward staring at me.

"You-" Edward starts but I cut him off by grabbing his arm and pulling him inside.

"It's too cold out. And I just now got the feeling back in my toes," I explain as Woofus runs into the room and jumps on Edward.

"This might help." He smiles and holds out my slipper.

"Thank you, Prince Charming." I smile and throw it in the corner with my other wet articles of clothing. He gives me a confused look and I shake my head. "You brought back my slipper. Like in Cinderella. Except that's not exactly a glass slipper." What is wrong with me? I should not be calling guys Prince Charming, even if it is because of a stupid fairy tale. Life is not a fairy tale. There are no happy endings.

"I guess I should go then," he stutters and turns to the door before quickly turning back. "Actually, there is kind of a party going on tonight…" he trails off, placing his hands in his back pockets.

"Sorry but I have plans." It's not exactly a lie. I will have plans with Alice as soon as I call her back. "Maybe some other time."

"Sure," he nods. "See you around." He turns back out the door and sulks away.

And as soon as the door closes behind him the phone rings. "I told you I'd call you back," I snap at the phone.

"How did you even know it was me?" The girl on the other end laughs.

"Who else would it be? Sorry. My new neighbor was at the door," I explain, jumping onto the counter again.

"How was Phoenix?"

"Fun. You should really come next time. Renee would really like to meet you. And I don't think Carlisle will mind."

"I know. Maybe next time."

I roll my eyes and start to fill her in on all the details of my trip. But that doesn't take long, it's not a very exciting story. Two weeks with Renee and Phil for their wedding. It was miserable. "So what are you doing tonight?" I ask.

"Spending time with my best friend."

"Oh, so you have plans already," I shrug.

"You were only gone for two weeks, you're still my best friend," she laughs. The same old routine.

"You and Tyler aren't doing anything?"

"I knew you were coming home today. I made sure I had no plans, even with my gorgeous boyfriend Tyler." She sighs. I know that sigh. She's fallen for him. When will she learn?

"Okay, good. Because I would feel awful if I lied."

"Lied?" I can hear how intrigued she was just in her voice.

I sigh. Why can't I ever stop myself from talking? "My new neighbor, he invited me out tonight. Or at least he was trying. But I knew I would have plans with you so I said no."

"Ooh does little Bella have a love interest?" she teased.

"You should know me better than that." I roll my eyes and laugh. But simply hearing my name and the word love that close together makes me want to scream or cry or run away; actually I kind of want to do all three. "I've only been gone a few days, do you think that much has changed about me?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she sighs. We've been friends for way too long. "So when are you coming over?"

I think for a second and nod. "Right now. Well, right after I shower. Airplanes make me feel gross." I scowl.

"Good. Dress nice."

"Why?" I ask skeptically. When Alice says things like that, it means bad things for me.

"I maybe might possibly be throwing a party tonight while Carlisle is out of town."

I roll my eyes. The parties Alice likes to throw are not the type of parties I like to attend. "Will there be beer?" I ask hopefully.

"Copious amounts. Or so Emmett has promised me."

"What's the occasion?"

"Right!" she exclaims so loudly that it hurts my ears. "I forgot to tell you. My brother is back!"

"Huh? Where did Emmett go?"

"Not Emmett, stupid."

"You have another brother?" I knit my brow together. Alice has been my best friend since I've moved to Forks a few months ago. How did she fail to mention this to me?

"I've told you a million times, sweetie. Or at least I think I have." I can hear her doorbell ring in the background. "Whatever. You were probably drunk and don't remember. Not important. I'll tell you all about it when you get here." She hangs up the phone without a goodbye. Totally like Alice, too preoccupied with her party. I sigh and head to the bathroom for a long hot shower.


	3. 2: Boy Who Thinks He Can

**Chapter 2  
Boy Who Thinks He Can**

-Bella-

My shower is long and relaxing. And I spent way too much time getting ready. Mostly because I know that if I am not dressed up and wearing a good amount of make up, Alice will not let me into her house. I know this because it has happened on many occasions. Not when it's just the two of us of course. But when there is a party, I know that I am required to dress to her standards and keep a smile on my face if I want to be there. And I want to be there. There will be alcohol. And there will be boys. And I love it when those two things come together.

I don't even bother ringing the doorbell. I'm here so much as it is that Carlisle has given me a key. I am immediately wrapped in a famous Emmett bear hug. "Bella, welcome home!"

"Fuck, Em, I was only gone for two weeks," I say with a laugh and push him off of me. Not an easy task. I look him in his big brown eyes and smirk. "Are you drunk already?" I look around and see that it looks like I might just be the last person to arrive. Fashionably late, as always. And I didn't even try!

He shrugs his massive shoulders. "I may have started celebrating a little early," he sheepishly admits.

"Yeah," I nod. "So I hear. The prodigal brother returns. How come I knew nothing about this brother?"

He again shrugs. "We don't talk enough," He says he wraps his thick arms around me and squeezes tightly as he lifts me up from the floor.

"I can't breathe, Em," I manage to choke out with the little oxygen I have left in me. "That's why we don't talk enough," I say panting breathlessly when he finally releases me. "You scare the hell out of me sometimes."

"Bella!" Alice runs to my side. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming," she shouts over the music.

"Of course I was coming," I respond with a roll of my eyes and take her small hand in mine, allowing her to lead me to the kitchen for some alcohol. "I just had to make sure I looked the part."

She pulls away from me and studies my appearance. "Aww, Bella. You look hot!" She smiles proudly. "You're wearing the jeans that I love. And the navy tank that makes your tits look amazing. And the make-up!" She is literally bursting with joy.

"I usually wear make-up," I defend.

"But you're wearing it the right way," She says as she claps her hands excitedly.

"There's a wrong way?" I sigh. Who knew?

"Oh, Bella. It's a good thing that you can be so hot without it," She giggles softly as she speaks. And ss soon as we enter the kitchen, I grab a red plastic cup and immediately fill it with beer. I almost have it finished by the time Alice finally stops complimenting my attire. "When did you buy the fuck-me-boots? I love them!"

"Looks like you invited half the town," I change the subject. I really can't stand to talk about my fashion sense anymore. It is boring me half to death.

She nods slowly as she speaks, "Well, it started off small and then it just kind of snowballed." It usually does with Alice.

I refill my cup and stare into her brown eyes. "So you have another brother?" I arch one brow.

"I'm sure I've told you before. You know that you don't always listen very well. Especially when drinking." She sighs before continuing with her story, "Another adopted Cullen. Where as me and Emmett decided to stay local for school, he chose to board."

"So where is this mystery brother?" I ask as my eyes quickly scan the room. Not that I'd know what I'm looking for anyway.

"Late as usual," she says, releasing a heavy sigh. "I swear, I'm the only one that…" She trails off as she starts staring into space. Her eyes grow wide and she flutters away. And that's Alice for you. You're never really sure of what you're going to get.

**-Edward-**

I walk through the front door and find that the party has already started. And even though I was told it was for me, no one so much as looks in my direction. _Welcome home Edward_, I think to myself. I scan the room and find that I don't recognize half of the people crowding into the house. I was at least expecting Alice and Emmett to be there to greet me.

My eyes continue to search the room and that's when I see her. That gorgeous woman from this morning. What was her name? Belle? No, Bella. She is standing alone in the kitchen. Her beautiful brown eyes are staring into her plastic red cup. Her brown hair is shining in the light and I resist the urge to run across the room and run my fingers through it. Her eyes travel up from her cup and meet my gaze. She lifts her left hand, waving a hello as her lips curl into a smile. Those lips… I stare at her luscious ruby red lips. I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I must concentrate. I can't fall victim to her. She is supposed to fall victim to me. But damn if I can't stop thinking about kissing those lips.

I return her small wave and begin to make my way across the room. I can only make it halfway there before I hear the familiar shrieking tearing at my eardrums. "Edward! You're here!" Alice wraps her delicate arms around me. "We've missed you."

I smile at the small woman. "Missed you too, sis."

"Come here," she says as she takes my hand in hers and begins to pull me behind her. "There is someone I want you to meet."

"Alice, I just got home. And I haven't even gotten a drink yet. And there is already someone that I was kind of on my way to talk to," I whine, knowing that no matter what I say, Alice will win anyway.

"Oh, shut up and just come with me. It will only take a minute. And trust me, she won't be far from the beer."

"She?" I raise an eyebrow. I guess a little diversion couldn't hurt.

Alice's eyes grow wide. "No. You will not think of her like that, Edward. I like her. I want to keep her," she pouts.

"Why is everyone always assuming the worst of me?"

Alice sighs heavily. "Because time and time again you've proven that you can't be close to a woman without fucking her."

"I haven't fucked you," I say with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Eww," she groans and punches my chest lightly. "Even if I wasn't your adopted sister, I wouldn't sleep with you." She pulls at my hand again. "Plus, she isn't your type."

That can only mean one thing. "Ugly," I groan. And not just any kind of ugly. A little ugly can be helped with beer. This chick must be horrendous.

"No. She's cute," Alice defends.

I groan again, this time louder, "Cute? That's the kiss of death description."

"She's not ugly, Edward. God, you're so shallow," she lets out an exasperated sigh. "She's hot. Really fucking hot."

"That is my type, Alice. Boobs. Vagina. Hotness helps. But enough beer and even that doesn't matter so much anymore."

"Edward, you are impossible," she shakes her head as she continues to talk down to me. "What I should have said is you aren't her type. She is way too smart for you."

"Is that a challenge?" I roll my eyes. It sure sounds like one.

"Edward, I swear to God, I will hurt you. Promise that you will leave her alone!" Little Alice screams at me.

I shrug, "Fine. I will do my best. But sometimes women just can't resist my charms."

She pulls me into the kitchen and right in front of my target. "Hello, Bella," I smile seductively at the woman.

"Edward," she says returning my smile, "I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I know, what a pleasant surprise."

Alice sticks out her bottom lip and stomps her foot. "You two know each other already?"

"We met this morning. While I was helping Tanya move in. Thanks for your help by the way," I say with a smirk.

"Sorry," she utters the apathetic apology with an equally apathetic shrug. "Someone had to get this party set up." Alice turns towards Bella and speaks, "So since you've already met my asshole brother I guess no introductions are in order."

"This is your brother?" Bella shouts, coughing as she chokes on her drink, spilling it onto her shirt. "Fuck me!" She curses. Oh, I hope so, Bella. So I begin my routine to charm her right into my bed.

"Can I get you another drink, Bella?" I smile sweetly, allowing my pure charm to help reel her in.

Alice is making faces behind Bella's back and I try my best to ignore her. I glare at Alice but she won't let up. "Edward, you promised," she seethes in my ear.

"Relax, Alice. It's just some beer," I reassure her. And it is for now, just beer. But the beer will later lead to her being drunk. And that will lead to lowered inhibitions. And that will lead to my bed, underneath me and screaming my name as I work my magic on her.

"Yeah, Alice. Relax," Bella agrees with me, taking my hand. "It's just some beer." Bella smirks at me before sticking her tongue out at Alice. Alice leans forward and whispers something into Bella's ear. Bella cracks a smile before putting an angry face on and turning to hit her friend in the arm.

**-Bella-**

Alice raises an eyebrow at me and I point my index finger at her. She rolls her eyes, she gets the message. "About that drink," she says with a smile, offering me her hand. I lead her over to the keg and fill up a cup for her before getting one for myself.

"Hey, brother," Emmett's loud voice booms as he approaches us, enveloping Edward into a suffocating hug. "Stay out of trouble?"

Edward laughs nervously as he talks, "Like that's possible." He has a very smug smile. I think by the end of the night, I'd like to wipe it off his face.

"Emmett!" A very excited voice calls. Suddenly a beautiful blonde appears beside Emmett.

"Oh yeah," Edward says with a smirk, "Look who I ran into this afternoon."

"Rosalie?" Alice jumps up and down excitedly. "What are you doing here?" She hugs the new girl. I feel the need to vomit. There is way too much hugging and loving going on in this room. It's really making me nauseous. And the next scene really makes me ill. Emmett lifts the blonde from the ground, her legs wrapping around his body as their lips meet in a slow, romantic and nauseating kiss. I can't help but roll my eyes.

"That's Rosalie," Edwards explains, leaning in closer to me so he wouldn't have to scream over the music. "She and Emmett had a thing. We used to go to a prep school in Alaska with her and her twin brother Jasper. She and Emmett were close. So close in fact, we were taking bets on whether or not he was going to propose after we graduated." He laughs and I force myself to laugh with him. Idiots. That does not sound like the Emmett that I know. I quickly finish the rest of my drink. "They kind of broke up when Emmett got kicked out for punching a kid in the face." That sounds like the Emmett I know.

I turn my attention away from the scene and scan the room. Nothing promising. I need more alcohol. That will help. I start to head for the beer but I feel someone grab my arm and I turn to see Alice smiling at me. "We have to go to the bathroom."

I roll my eyes and turn to Edward saying the very phrase I think I hate the most, "I'm sorry, we have to go to the bathroom." He shakes his head and laughs as Alice drags me away. "What?" I ask as soon as we are in the solace of her large bathroom.

"What's going on with you and Edward?" She smiles and sits on the counter. Her words are spoken with a slight drunken slur. I don't get these womanly traditions. Why do we have to hang out in a bathroom of all places? And it's especially awkward because this isn't a public bathroom.

"We were talking until you decided I had to go to the bathroom. Which I don't. And this is a little weird, don't you think?" I ask and she only stares at me blankly as if I have something more to say and I just stare back. "And that's it." She sighs heavily and instructs me to walk over to her. She opens a make-up bag and tells me to close my eyes. I give her a confused look but Alice always wins so I give in and quickly jump back when she pokes my eyelid. "What are you doing?"

"Fixing your makeup," she smiles.

"Don't," I shake my head. "Do not start this…"

"I'm not starting anything," she pouts.

"I thought you said it looked good today," I pout as she again pokes me in the eye.

"It looks normal. I could make it look really hot."

"There is no such thing as normal," I remind her.

"Why are you the only one who doesn't believe in things like normalcy?" I shrug and she continues. "Let me?" She begs, sticking out her bottom lip again. This is not a good sign. When she wants to do the really girly things like that, it's usually because she needs to get her mind off of something…or someone. "Tyler is here. With another girl," She sighs. And I do my best impersonation of a sympathetic look. "Just say it," she whines.

"Say what?" I shrug innocently.

"I told you so," she groans. "Like you always do."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I really am." I wrap my arm around her shoulder as she jumps from the counter. Just because I knew this would happen, I don't need to gloat. I am her best friend after all. "I'll get you another drink and make a voodoo doll in Tyler's likeness." She smiles as we walk out of the bathroom. There is a crowd of people around Edward making the kitchen too crowded for me, so Alice and I settle into the living room onto the impromptu dance floor. I see Tyler out of the corner of my eye and as Alice's smile fades, I know she's seen him too. "Do you want to get out of here?" I ask her as she chugs her beer and I guess that wasn't enough for her because she takes mine too.

"Yeah," she responds her voice small with sadness. She grabs arm for support as we walk closer to the front door.

I stop as we walk past Edward. "I'm going to take Alice to my place for a little while," I tell him before I turn and walk Alice to the door.

"Wait," I hear Edward call out, his hand resting on my shoulder. "It's too early to leave," he says while flashing me a charming smile. The same one that I'm sure he always uses to get into a girl's pants.

"She isn't feeling too good," I explain but before I could continue she walks away from me and grabs the nearest person to her, which happens to be Emmett's old girlfriend and presses her lips to her. "Alice!" I shout, but Rosalie pushes her away quickly.

"Oops," Alice laughs. "Thought you were someone else." She walks over to Rosalie's brother…Jasper, I think, and her lips are on his. And then I notice Tyler standing five feet away, awestruck, with some whore on his arm.

"Alice. Let's get you out of here. You've had enough excitement for one night."

She pokes my side and walks away from me. "I don't want to leave anymore. I feel much better now," she explains with a goofy drunken smile.

"Alice, you're drunk," I whine. I've never seen Alice get drunk this fast before. It makes me wish I was drunk.

"You've seen me drunk, she reminds me. "I'm not drunk yet." I stare at her and she sticks out her bottom lip in a pout, "Please? Just a little while longer?"

"Yeah," Edward adds, his hands gently brushing against my hips. Who the fuck does this guy think he is? "Just a little while longer."

I, of course, give in. And we end up staying three more hours. Alice is beyond drunk and napping on the rug in front of the fireplace as I talk to Edward. "I should really get home," I say through a yawn.

"You can't drive," Edward protests. I work to keep myself from rolling my eyes. But I must say, he is good at this. Too bad I'm not another dumb girl.

"I'll be fine," I use my sweetest voice as I force a smile and stand. "It was nice getting to know you. I hope I'll be seeing you around. I'll help Alice into bed." I try to wake Alice, but it's useless. She's passed out. I sigh and try to lift her but I drop her and she would have fallen hard to the floor if Edward hadn't caught her.

"I'll take care of her," Edward says coming to my rescue. I give him a smile. Who am I to protest? It saves me the trouble of dragging her up that huge staircase. He lays Alice onto her bed and after he leaves I get her into a comfortable pair of pajamas before walking out to my truck. I find Edward leaning against it with a cocky grin. He grabs my keys from my hand. "I'm not letting you drive."

"Then how am I supposed to get us home?" I raise my eyebrow. "And I have to get home. Charlie will just about kill me if I'm not home tonight."

"I'll drive," his voice is so agitating right now. Like he already knows that he'll be having sex with me later. Little does he know, he's very very wrong.

"You've had just as much to drink as I have," I protest.

"But I'm not drunk. I have a higher tolerance." The more he talks. The more I feel like hurting him.

"My father has a breathalyzer that will prove you wrong," I say with a smirk. He just rolls his eyes and ignores me. What an ass. And after challenging me to a sobriety test, which he does better on, I'm sulking in the passenger's seat. And he's driving my truck. I rest my head back as Edward talks, trying just a little too hard to get my interest. He's good, but he's not that good. I've turned down better.

It doesn't take long before we're parked in the driveway. "Wait!" I shout. "How are you getting home?" I keep myself from rolling my eyes. He was probably planning on spending the night in my bed. Too bad it's not going to happen. We open the truck doors at the same time and step out.

"Oh, uh," He mumbles as he runs his fingers through his hair nervously. "I guess I didn't think about that." I can see where this is going. "I guess I'll call Emmett." He shrugs and walks me up to my doorstep. He is such a liar!

"Ha!" I snort. "Good luck with that. He's blitzed right now. I doubt he'll even be able to answer the phone."

"Yeah," he laughs uneasily, "I guess I could crash at Tanya's. I don't think she'll mind."

"Thanks for driving me home," I use my sweetest voice that usually drives the boys wild. And I can tell from the look in his eyes that it is having the same affect on him. I smile at him and twirl my hair around my finger as I eye him seductively. I love playing this game! "I had fun."

"Me too." Edward says as he smiles, then licks his lips. "You have beautiful eyes," he drops his voice to a low whisper. He smiles at me, his hand reaching for my cheek. I mentally roll my eyes and reach into my purse. I think it's just about time to wipe that smug smile off his face.

**-Edward-**

"So do you," She says, smiling back at me. Her tongue darts out of her mouth to moisten her lips. She is getting ready to kiss me, I just know it. No woman can resist the Edward Cullen charms. I open my mouth to continue but her fingers press to my lips. "Let me finish for you," she says softly, the tone of her voice immediately makes my dick twitch and begin to harden. This girl is very good. Alice should have introduced us earlier. Bella then smirks, her eyes sparkling playfully. "I have a nice smile," she says as her hand runs up my chest, her eyes meeting mine once again. "And my lips…" she trails off and leans in closer to me. This, I like. "Are just so…" her voice lowered and her tongue gently flicked my bottom lip, "Kissable," she finishes just before her lips are on mine. I respond, my tongue entering her mouth. This, I like even more. And I really didn't have to do any work. I take a step forward and it makes her back crashes into the front door.

A second later she gently pushes me forward and I stare at her, breathing heavily. She flashes that playful smirk again, dark waves of hair falling over her eyes, her arms hidden behind her. "I'm not as dumb as I must look," Bella says with a laugh. She opens the door, still facing me. That, is not fair.

"I…" what do I want to say? I don't want to say anything. I don't think I can say anything.

"You what? Thought that getting me a few drinks would make me want to fuck you? It's going to take a little more than that." She raises an eyebrow.

"I…" I still have nothing to say.

"I'll see you later, Edward," she says with a wink. And with that she slips into the dark house. What just happened? Did she just turn me down? This is unexpected. So I just stand there and stare at her door for a minute. She…she's my challenge. I smile and skip next door, praying Tanya won't kill me if I wake her up.


	4. 3: Whatever Bella Wants

**Chapter 3  
Whatever Bella Wants  
**  
**-Bella-**

Snow is bright. I walk back into the house and grab my sunglasses before walking back out. I am hungover. I struggle to find my keys and not spill my coffee as I walk off the last step and land on my ass. Stupid boots with their stupid high heels. Why do I let Alice talk me into buying ridiculous things like this? Especially knowing just how clumsy I am. Great. My ass is cold and wet and stuck to a patch of ice and my chest is hot and wet and smells like coffee. Ick. And I'm going to be late for work.

I slip on the ice two more times before I make it to my car. Stupid boots for a stupid job. I unlock my truck and lose my footing yet again when I attempt to open the door, but I'm too smart to fall this time. I hold onto the door until I regain my balance. But I have a slight problem. My door is still closed. Stupid snow. Stupid ice. I hate all this stupid weather. I kick my truck and regret it when a sharp pain surges through my foot. I try to open my door for another minute then glance at my watch. I've got five minutes to make the 13 minute trip to work.

I scream in frustration and kick my truck again. "Need some help?" I jump as I hear a voice from behind me.

I turn around and see Edward smiling at me, looking just as hot as he had yesterday. He was drunk last night too. He should be looking like crap. I do. I brush stray hairs from my face and smile. "My door's stuck."

"Did you unlock it?" he asks, laughing as he walks closer. I glare at him, but he can't see it through the dark sunglasses. He fights with my truck for a minute but my door finally swings open and he slips.

"Don't worry," I laugh, "I've already done that three times." I help him up and watch him dust off his pants.

"You got a little something…" he points to the big wet spot on my shirt.

I nod. "Coffee. Ice. Bad," I explain in my I'm-too-hungover-to-formulate-a-complete-sentence kind of way. "Thank you," I finally say, throwing my things into the car.

"No problem," he smiles, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I, uh, I wanted to apologize for last night."

**-Edward-**

She shakes her head and laughs, her hair falling into her face. "You're not the first guy to try to get me into bed," I shake my head and look at my feet. "And as much fun as it is talking to you, I'm late for work."

"Oh," I say with a nod. Work. Yeah, people do that. I should probably get one of those job things too. "What do you do?"

"I work at Newton's Olympic Outfitters. I know, it doesn't really seem like it would fit. But it somehow does," she nods while she speaks. "I need to pay my way through college somehow."

"You're in college?"

"Indeed. With Alice and Emmett. But I thought you would have known that. Must get to work."

She starts her engine and I take a step back, but still hold her doorframe. Time is running out, I have to get back on track… "We're having another party tonight. Well, me and Emmett are. Alice is still in a coma, I'm sure. Interested?"

She exhales loudly and scrunches up her face in thought. "Sure," she finally accepts and reaches into her purse. She pulls out a pen and grabs my hand, scribbling a number on it. "Call me at 1, when I take my break. You can give me all the details then." I smile at her and she just stares at me. "You can move now," she says slowly, as if I'm stupid, which I guess I am. I close her door for her and wave as she peels out of her driveway.

I'm such an asshole. I reach into my pocket and pull out my cell phone, dialing the familiar number. "Huh?" the sleepy voice manages.

"Hey, Emmett," I smile.

"Uhhh," is the response I get from him. I'm sure that if I translate if from the ancient very hungover and very sleepy language it means hello.

"I need your help," I say, walking back over to Tanya's place.

"Uhhhhnnnnnfuuuuuckkkkk. Mmmmsleep," he mumbles. I think that means 'fuck you I'm sleepy' but I can't be sure.

"Plenty of time for that later. Right now you have to pick me up and help me plan a party."

**-Bella-**

These guys do know how to throw a party. Lots of people, loud music, a lot to drink. Doesn't get much better than this. I see Edward talking to a large group of people and he smiles and waves me over. I sigh and walk over, pulling Alice with me.

As we walk closer I can see Emmett and Rosalie; holding hands, staring into each other's eyes and smiling, giving quick kisses and whispering I love you. It's nauseating. My lip curls up in disgust and Alice giggles beside me.

"What?" Edward asks, nudging me in the side.

"Nothing," I shake my head, walking away from the group and taking a long drink.

"Come ooooonnnn," Alice says a little too loud and rolls her eyes as she grabs my arm. Damn it! She's not allowed to drink anymore. "Babyface doesn't know?"

"Doesn't know what?" Edward asks, instantly curious. "And don't call me babyface. It stopped being funny like five years ago."

"Bella doesn't believe in love," she giggles. I hate Alice. But why should I? I really have no reason. She's just telling the truth. No shame in that. I bring my red plastic cup to my lips but it's empty. I need more beer.

"You don't believe in love?" Edward laughs.

"I need more beer," I announce loudly walking away but I hear footsteps following close behind me.

"How can you not believe in love?" Edward asks.

I shrug and keep walking as I speak over my shoulder, "Easy. I don't."

"But…"

"But what?" I ask, grabbing a cup from someone's hand and drinking its contents quickly, throwing the empty cup over my shoulder. I hope it hits him and pokes him right in the eye, leaving him with a shiner in the morning. That would be nice. Too bad my luck isn't good enough for that to happen. Wow. I sound kind of pathetic. Yeah, still need more beer. "I've never been in love," I explain, grabbing a cup from someone else and become aware that people are staring at us. Well, staring at me. Eh, doesn't bother me. I pry another drink away from a girl who really should have stopped drinking an hour ago. I throw this plastic cup behind me and stumble over my feet. Damn it! _I_ should've stopped drinking an hour ago too.

"So just because you've never been in love means it doesn't exist?" he asks, his voice lined with sarcasm. And I know what comes next. "Have you ever seen a million dollars?" Like I haven't heard that one before. I roll my eyes.

"Completely different argument. That might just be the worst comparison ever," I groan. He really frustrates me. So I would like to frustrate him. "Like you," I point. "I'm sure you have never actually witnessed a woman cum before, aside from porn of course. Because I have a feeling you're a total porn addict. Mostly because I can't imagine a woman even considering bumping uglies with you. I shudder at the very thought. And because I seriously fucking doubt a fucking fumbling idiot like you is capable of ever making a woman achieve anything remotely resembling an orgasm. But I can assure you it does exist. Some men can actually please a woman. That would have been much better."

"Wow," he rolls his eyes. "So poetic. And I'll have you know that if we ever have sex, you will cum harder than you ever have before. Because I am that fucking amazing."

I cringe and push the thought of us having sex from my mind. And despite what I may have said, it is not because I am repulsed by it. I am oddly turned on by him right now. Damn alcohol. So I choose to ignore him and continue to prove my point. "And that's not the only reason,' I say. I abruptly stop walking and turn to face Edward. "Why do you care anyway?"

"I just find it hard to believe," he says with a shrug.

I sigh and walk into the empty kitchen looking for more to drink. Since I'm already drunk anyway…  
**  
-Edward-**

I follow her into the kitchen and watch as she grabs a beer and hops onto the counter. She cocks her head and looks at me. "Have you ever been in love before?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"Really in love?" she asks, her voice husky and playful. She lowers her head and stares into my eyes, like she's looking for something inside my head. I nod again. "But you aren't anymore?" I slowly nod. I think she's crazy. Hot but crazy. "How can you just stop loving someone?" I don't have an answer. I'm not a love expert. I just want to fuck her.

"Things change," I shrug. "So you're basing this on the fact that you've never been in love before?"

"No," she shakes her head. "I've never _seen_ two people in love before."

"What about your parents?"

"Divorced," she shrugs.

My personal life probably won't help. Not much is known about my birth parents. And Carlisle has been single for as long as I can remember. "Carlisle has a cousin that is still married," I offer.

"Wonderful," she smiles and I have a feeling that it's sarcastic. "They're both magnificent liars. They favor companionship and don't want to admit that marriage was the biggest fucking mistake ever." She rolls her eyes and chugs her beer before reaching for another. "Do you honestly think that there is only one person out there for you? One person that you have to spend the rest of your life with? One person to have sex with until the day you die?" she continues to rant and I begin to understand that she's more drunk than crazy. Drunk girls. Easy prey. But who knows about drunk and crazy? Only one way to find out.

"So you don't think you'll ever be in love?" I ask, stepping closer to her.

She shakes her head, her dark hair falling in her face and covering her eyes. "Hasn't happened yet."

I tuck her hair behind her ear and look into her eyes. "Would you like it to?" I step between her legs and look into her eyes.

She smiles and leans into me, her breath warming my ear. I win. Too easy. "No," she whispers soft and low before pulling away from me and smirking with a giggle. What? This is where we have sex. Not where she turns me down. Again. I bite my tongue and calm myself. I just need to try a different approach.

-**Bella-  
**  
"Care to bet on that?" he asks, stepping back, his hands resting gently on my knees.

The corners of my mouth curl up into a smile. "I never make a bet I can't win."

"So you don't want to bet then?" he asks, taking another step back, but I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him back to me.

"I never said that. All I said was that I'm going to win." I wink and finish my beer.

"Think so?"

I nod and lean over to him again, the heavy scent of his cologne filling my nose. He smells delicious. "I know so," I giggle. He holds out his hand and I accept. "So what are the terms?" I ask.

"I don't know what you want but I have a pretty good idea of what I want," he smirks.

I pause and think a minute. What would I like? Right now I would like more beer. And that is a very bad sign. "I will have to get back to you." I am way too drunk right now to make an important decision like that. I grab the closest bottle containing alcohol and take a long drink. I make a face as the cheap vodka warms my throat. "So confident," I giggle at him. "Who do you think is going to be able to change me?" I raise an eyebrow. "You?" I giggle again. I have officially gone over my quota of giggles for one evening. Men are so predictable. He grins like a fool and I pull him forward, bringing him between my legs. I can feel the heat radiating from inside his jeans. I'm soooo drunk. And I'm soooo going to regret this in the morning. I play with the hem of his shirt and my fingers finally make their way to the bottom button.

He clears his throat and stares at my hands as they undo another button. "What are you doing?" he asks, staring at my fingers.

"Unbuttoning your shirt," I explain, and keep moving my fingers. What does it look like I'm doing?

"I can see that," he laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "But why?"

I roll my eyes. He's not very smart. Or maybe he's drunk like me. "How else am I going to get it off? I could always just rip it. But who knows? This might be your favorite shirt. So unbuttoning it is," I continue my explanation as my fingers continue to work on his shirt.

"Why do you want my shirt off?" he asks, his hands running through his dark hair.

"Well, I suppose you could leave your shirt on but it'll be much better with _all_ your clothes off," I nod, fumbling with the next button. Damn alcohol ruining my coordination.

**-Edward-**

I gently swat her hands away and take a step back, furrowing my brow as I look at her. "Why am I taking off all of my clothes?"

She sighs heavily and rolls her eyes like I'm stupid. "I'm bored and lonely, kinda horny, not to mention drunk, so my judgment is impaired. And sex just seems like a good solution to all the above problems. And how else are we going to have sex? Certainly not with all your clothes still on."

Wait? What? Sex? I thought that…I don't know what to think. This girl is a conundrum. More than a conundrum. A conundrum wrapped in a puzzle wrapped in a riddle…or something really confusing and complicated like that.

"What?" she shrugs. "Yesterday you try to get me to sleep with you and now that I'm throwing myself at you, you don't want me? I…What? Am I…I…Fuck you!" she shouts, flailing her arms in frustration as she pouts. She looks even sexier when she pouts.

I laugh and grab her wrist to keep her from moving away. "No. Of course I want you."

"Oh," she nods, biting her luscious lip. "Then what's the problem?" I didn't even know there was a problem. I open my mouth but she just rolls her eyes and pulls me by the collar again and presses her cherry red lips to mine. Her lips are soft and she tastes like alcohol; her kiss is strong and hungry as her tongue slips into my mouth. Her hand moves to my belt and I take a step back, breaking away from the kiss. "What now?" she growls.

"Bedroom," I explain breathlessly. She smiles and jumps off the counter, grabbing my hand and rushing out of the kitchen and through the crowds of people. She's more of a challenge than most girls are, but still easy.

As soon as the door closes behind us, her lips are on mine again, her tongue battling with mine, her dainty hands tugging on the hem of my shirt. She fumbles with a button and groans into my mouth in frustration as she fails to unbutton it. "Not my favorite shirt," I explain while gasping for air. She smiles and quickly grabs my shirt at the bottom and rips it open; there is the soft clinking of buttons hitting the floor. That might have been the hottest thing ever. My shirt is thrown to the floor and hers soon follows. She pushes me onto the bed on my back and straddles me as she works on my belt. Her small fingers fumble at the buckle. That's the only problem with drunk girls, lack of coordination. After a minute she gets my belt off and slowly unzips my pants. "So does this mean I win?" I ask as she I wiggle free of my pants and her lips come to mine again and my fingers quickly unzip her pants.

"Win what?" she asks breathlessly between kisses.

"The bet," I explain slowly, propping myself up on my forearms after she abruptly stops and sits up, giving me an unsettling look. She scoffs and gets off my legs. "What?"

"Never mind," she shakes her head as she throws my pants at me and looks around the room.

I'm confused. One second I'm promised sex, now she's zipping up her pants. I'm beginning to not like her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," she shrugs and continues to look around the room. "I explained this to you. I'm drunk and bored. You were there and you happen to have a functioning penis. At least I think you do. It was just supposed to be sex. Just sex. You're not going to win. You can't win by fucking me. Those weren't the terms. Sex and love are two completely different things. Ugh! Where the fuck is my shirt?" she shouts, picking up articles of clothing from my floor and throwing them around still ranting about…whatever until she finally finds her shirt and slips it on.

Yes, men know that sex and love are two different things. We use that knowledge to our advantage. Women don't. Well, they aren't supposed to. This isn't fair. She's not playing by the rules. "Now I got to find someone else to fuck," she says under her breath. Someone else? I'm right here. Lying on a bed. Giant hard on. Why look for someone else? "I'm sure I can find someone else to sleep with me, since you're too big of a pussy," she groans. She looks in the mirror, fixes her lipstick, and runs her fingers through her hair, then turns back to me. "Never mind. I think I saw Jacob out there. He's always good for it," she explains with a roll of her eyes and walks out the room, closing the door behind her. I fall back onto the bed, grab a pillow and try to smother myself with it, screaming in frustration. I am so confused. I hate this woman. Yet, at the same time, I am oddly intrigued by her.


	5. 4: Choking on Your Smile

**Chapter 4  
Choking on Your Smile**  
**  
-Bella-**

I'm alive, though I wish I wasn't. I have the worst hangover ever. Worse than yesterday's. I refuse to open my eyes because I can tell through my closed eyes that the room is already too bright. I'm not going to move because my stomach is already lurching. So I'm just going to lie here forever. Thank God, I don't have to work today. What is today? I gather the strength to move my right arm and hold my pounding head. I don't remember anything beyond Edward. Oh God, I slept with Edward last night! I spring up at that revelation and I was right, I lose my stomach. So gross.

I really need to stop drinking so much. I do dumb things. Like sleep with…wait! I almost slept with Edward. Yes! I did not actually sleep with him. I'd do a happy dance if I didn't feel so bad. Next time, I will not get drunk. That's a lie. I will drink again. But at the very least I will not get that drunk again. Or at least I will try very hard. I don't even know how I got home last night. I look around and notice that that is probably because I'm not actually at home. Shit. I guess I did sleep with someone.

This is not good. I have no recollection of the events leading up to me waking up here. It must not have been that good. And he must not have been that hot. And I threw up on his floor! This is going to be one awkward morning after. But I guess there is only one way to find out… I get out of bed and feel like falling over, but I grab the nightstand for support.

I slowly and very cautiously open the door and walk into the hallway. I know this house. I hope I didn't sleep with Emmett. That would be kind of awkward. I hear a TV playing softly towards my left and walk that way. I'm scared of what, or who, I'm going to see. "Hello," I say roughly.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Edward smiles. I stare at him and blink a few times. I'm confused. Why isn't he surprised to see me? Damn, I _did_ sleep with him. I just don't remember it. "How you feeling?"

"Confused," I nod softly. "And I threw up on your floor."

"You threw up on my floor?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Yeah," I respond and take a second to wait for the room to stop spinning. "Sorry." I walk down the steps slowly, clutching the rail tightly with each step. "Please tell me you have something to keep my head from exploding."

**-Edward-**

I hand her a bottle of aspirin and a bottle of water. "Thank you," she says after quickly popping three pills.

An awkward pause falls between us that Emmett interrupts as he walks down the stairs. "You know someone threw up in your room, Edward?"

Bella smiles uncomfortably and raises her hand as Emmett joins us in the kitchen. "Yeah. That would be me."

"Oh," Emmett nods and smirks. "I didn't know we still had company." Emmett nods his head and gives me a discreet thumbs up. He's excited and Alice will be pissed. There is no winning in this family.

"Yeah. I probably should get going." She takes a step away from me. And I stare at her ass. She just pulled one of my T-shirts on and forgot about pants. I can nearly see her ass cheeks as she walks. And as she stands on her tip-toes to replace the bottle of aspirin in the highest shelf in the cupboard, I _can_ see her ass cheeks. She has a very nice ass. The things I would love to do to that ass. How does this woman already have so much power over me? I'm Edward fucking Cullen. I can have any girl I want. So why is it only this one that I can think of?

"Come on, Bella." Emmett shields his eyes and feigns disgust. "Can't you at least put pants on?" She shrugs her shoulders dismissively. "You and Alice are pretty much inseparable, so that practically makes you my sister."

"Yeah. Right. Pants," she nods, her cheeks showing the slightest hint of a blush. Has she really not realized that she forgot pants? "I should probably go get those now." She walks back towards the staircase but pauses before leaving the room. "And Emmett, if you really think of me as your sister, you would make sure your pervert of a brother stops harassing me."

Emmett raises an eyebrow at me and I shrug my shoulders before returning my attention back to Bella. "Me?" I shout after her. "You're the one that kissed me last night, in case you've forgotten that in your drunken stupor."

I follow her up the stairs and back to my room, watching her from behind the entire time. She grimaces as she nears her vomit spot. I quickly cover it with a towel and help her find her pants. "So, uh, did we…you know. How was the sex?"

I laugh a little. Only it's not funny. She left me with the worst case of blue balls I have ever suffered in my entire life. I really was thinking I would never have to suffer through that pain again, once I discovered my ability to make women fall in love with me. This woman is really driving me mad. But I kind of like it. "We didn't actually get to that."

"Oh," she nods. "Then how did I end up naked in your bed?"

"Well, I'm not sure on the details. But you were looking for someone or something and then you and Alice decided you were going to leave only you were both way too drunk-"

Her head shoots up at the mention of her friend. "Alice! Where is she? I feel so bad. I really should have paid more attention to her. Poor thing is nursing a broken heart. Well, she thinks she is. Whatever. You get what I'm saying. I'm a horrible best friend."

"She's sleeping it off in her room. And I think she did perfectly fine without you."

"Oh? Did she drink so much she forgot about that cheating boyfriend of hers? Oh, did she vomit on the floor too?" she cringes again. "I really don't want to be the only one who was stupid enough to do that."

I laugh. "Once I threw up in Emmett's room after a party. But I moved furniture to cover it. It may still be there."

She grimaces and looks as if she may loose her stomach again. "Edward, that is absolutely disgusting."

I shrug. "I'm a guy. It's what we do." I finally find her pants and give them to her. "If I were you, I would have lied and said it was someone else. You just found it there."

She seems to contemplate for a moment before speaking. "First of all, who else would vomit on your floor? That is the worst lie ever and you wouldn't believe me. Secondly, I'm honest to a fault. Partly because I am a horrible liar. Partly because I don't really give a shit about what anyone thinks. And I have a very bad habit of saying whatever's on my mind. As you can imagine, I don't have many friends because of it."

"Except for Alice," I nod and watch her step into her pants.

"Except for Alice," she nods. She furrows her brows. She stops what she's doing and looks directly at me. "Okay, so we've covered why I was in your bed last night. You could have just left me on the sofa you know," she babbles but I am completely entranced by her. "But we didn't exactly cover why I was naked."

I'm at a loss for words there. I wish I knew. I don't think that there was any sex involved. I would be aware if there was sex in my bedroom. At least I pray to god that I would be aware of that. I should be the only one having sex there. I raise my shoulders in a shrug. "You tell me."

Bella rolls her eyes but drops the subject. I would have liked to continue. Thinking of her naked in my bed is a very exciting thought for me. But she brings up another subject that will do. "I vaguely remember making a wager last night."

I smile. "Yes. Apparently you don't believe you will ever fall in love."

She sits down on the bed and rubs her temples. "It's not just a belief. It's not going to happen. I thought I explained this to you last night."

I nod. "You were a little drunk."

"Little?" she scoffs. "I was so drunk, I threw up on your floor. And by the way, I suggest you clean it up and not just move furniture over it because that is going to start to smell real bad soon."

"You really don't censor yourself do you?"

"I don't see the point," she shakes her head. "So did we agree on the terms?"

"Well…" I stammer and stare at her as she pulls her hair back into a sloppy pony tail. I love that look. The sleepy look of a woman who just woke up. Hair messy and pulled back, no makeup, no bra. The only thing that would have been better is if she were still lying in bed naked and begging for me to fuck her. It's that 'just woke up from having a night of hot and wild sex' look and it drives me crazy. "You said you were too drunk to come up with your terms but I think I may have mine," I look at her and give her my best sexy look.

"What?" She sits back. "What's that look for? Are you going to vomit too?" So much for a sexy look. I shake my head. "You sure?" I nod. "Okay, where were we. Yes, the terms of this bet, if you are still up for it that is." I again nod. Why didn't she fall for the sexy look?

**-Bella-**

Boys are so predictable. Especially a hornball like Edward. "So if hell freezes over somehow and I actually do fall in love," I roll my eyes at ever saying a sentence that involves me and love, "you want to have sex with me. Right?" The look on his face is priceless. "Yes, you are in fact that obvious," I shrug my shoulder and watch as he tries repeatedly to form a sentence and fail. "You know, you didn't have to go through that much trouble to get me in bed. I mean, there is no chance that you will ever get me to fall in love. Especially with you. That is what you were thinking, right? Right," I nod, again watching that oh so special face. "I threw myself at you yesterday. You had me getting naked in your bed and you blew it," I roll my eyes.

"Could we maybe try again?" he asks, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

I blink several times. He seems to speak whatever is on his mind too. Refreshing. But that is my thing! He can't steal my thing! "No," I state simply and shake my head. "Now, you're going to have to win that bet."

"And what do you want if I can't woo you," he smirks flirtatiously.

I smile. I'm so going to win. "A favor to be named later."

"A sexual favor?" He eyes me hopefully.

"What would the fun be in that?" I scoff. "Then it wouldn't matter who won because the end result would be the same."

"That's the point." Edward looks at me as if I'm stupid.

"No," I shake my head, getting frustrated with him. "That is not the point. The point is I'm going to be right and you are never going to get to have sex with me." I roll my eyes at him. He's trying way too hard. It's a major turn off. "And I'm a girl. If I'm ever in need of a sexual favor, all I have to do is find any random guy on the street and ask. It's easy. I've done it before." He raises an eyebrow at me. "Don't look at me like I'm a whore!"

"Well, you did ask random men on the street for sex," he shrugs his shoulders.

I resist the urge to slap him. "It was a sociology experiment. And I never had sex with those strangers. I have a very close friend that I call if I ever need some company." He's hopeless. I leave his room, carefully watching where I step. "Alice!" I shout. "I'm leaving!"

The door at the end of the hall opens a minute later and Alice stumbles out looking worse for the wear, similar to me I suppose. "Give me a few more minutes," she smirks and I can see a very naked Jasper lying in the bed waiting for her return. Rebound sex. I've heard it's nice. Wouldn't know since I've never had to mend a broken heart. But just regular sex is good with me.

"Have to get away from me before I make you fall in love with me?" Edward smiles at me from inside of his room still. I stand in the doorway and glare at him. "Let's make this bet for one year. I'm sure I'll only need a fraction of that," he smirks. "But we'll make it interesting. If you can go one full year without falling in love, then you win."

"I haven't fallen in love in 20 years. I don't intend on starting now," I smile back. "The only hard part of this bet is having to associate with you for one full year. Ugh, Alice is going to have to start hanging out at my place so I can get away from you. When do you go back to school?"

"I don't," he shrugs. "There was a… thing. I decided that some time in community college wouldn't be so bad."

"So you're here. For good," I cringe.

"You already love being in my presence."

"You have no reason to be that confident with yourself," I shake my head. He is again giving me that stupid look. I scowl. "You're an idiot."

"But you love this idiot." He blows me a kiss.

"No," I shake my head. "And you're standing in my vomit." I smile victoriously and walk away. Round one goes to me!


	6. 5: You're Just a Mess

**Chapter 5**

**You're Just a Mess**

**-Bella-**

"Gross, Bella. You and Edward. Really?" Alice cringes at the thought. "I do not support this coupling."

"Ick. Who said anything about coupling?"

"Emmett. Though I wish he hadn't," Alice shakes her head as if she's trying to clear it. "There was something about you being half naked in the kitchen this morning. And then something about you and Edward making a bet?" Alice laughs as we drive towards Port Angeles to do some shopping. We both wanted to get out of our houses to have some girl talk without her brothers or Charlie bothering us.

"Yeah. All thanks to you and your big mouth," I chastise her.

"My big mouth?" Alice scoffs. "As your best friend, I am beyond insulted by that. You have the biggest mouth ever. You would have told him anyway. My guess would be somewhere in the middle of the fuck and run. Which, I repeat, eww, that is ten different kinds of nasty."

"I'd prefer not to call it a fuck and run. And like you so eloquently said, eww, he's your gross brother. But speaking of fucking and running. How was Jasper?" I smile, thankful for the change of subject.

"That wasn't a fuck and run," she said softly. "It was a fuck and fuck again." She shrugged. "And you know, probably again tonight."

"You have a date!" I shout.

She furrows her brow. "I guess," she shrugs.

"That was fast. You didn't even really officially break up with Tyler and you've got a date," I tease.

"So who is this guy?" I question.

"When me and Edward were juniors in high school, Emmett was a senior. We went to a prep school in Alaska. Carlisle got a promotion at work and worked long and late hours and had to do some traveling and well, he didn't trust us alone that much. We did some…pretty fun things while he was away for a while and it wasn't so fun when we got caught." I would like to hear these stories. One day I will have to ask her about them. "He thought we needed the extra attention and strict rules of a prep school. He had his share of problems with us all. Emmett always got into fights. Edward is a pervert. And me… well, I'm me. But Emmett started dating Rosalie. She has a twin brother named Jasper. I never knew they lived that close to us. Probably because every spare moment Rosalie had she spent it fucking Emmett stupid. Literally stupid. If he didn't get kicked out for fighting he would have surely flunked out. And Jasper spent all of his time studying, so I never really got to know him. But Jesus fuck! I wish I had now. That little dweeb is the hottest thing ever. And not so much of a dweeb now." She throws her hands up after her ranting is over. "Okay, enough about my sex life. Back to yours. You fucked my brother?" she shouts at me, still in shock.

"He's an ass." I nod.

"Yes, you've said that. But, eww, you had sex with my brother."

"Ewww," I laugh. "No sex. Almost. But he totally blew it. And then I made a stupid bet and that just gives him a reason to keep harassing me for sex."

"But you almost had sex with him anyway so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is I can't have sex with him because that's the term of our bet. He wins, we fuck. I win, I don't know yet. But it's going to be good. God, why do you want to know this? He's your brother."

"Adopted brother," she makes sure to remind me. "And I got over those issues when I walked in on him having sex with Lauren Mallory in my bed. That was a horrible night." She shuddered at the memory. "So you want to have sex with Edward but now you can't because you made a bet with him," she summarizes and I nod. "You're stupid. You should have just done the fuck and run."

"I know!" I shout. "Right? That was so much easier. But now, I've got to associate with him for a year, as the terms of our bet state. And I can't have sex with him. And that blows." When was the last time I had a long-term friendship with a guy and not have sex with him? Alice's boyfriends don't count. I'm not the type of girl to do that to her best friend. But honestly, even if he is an asshole, I don't know if this whole friendship with no sex is possible. I don't think it's ever happened to me before.

And don't judge. I'm not a slut. I swear. I'm not a total slut.

Alice lets out a heavy sigh. "I retract my previous statement. I am endorsing this coupling. I can't believe I didn't see it until now. You and Edward would be perfect for each other."

**-Edward-**

Emmett stared across the kitchen table at me, his face set in the expression of dumb shock. "So let me get this straight," he sighs. "Bella threw herself at you. Like literally was getting naked and ready to have sex with you, no strings attached and you said no. So that you could make a bet with her?"

"Not exactly," I shrug. "I think we kind of made the bet first." I scratch my neck, beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. "It was pretty confusing. I think we kind of talked about maybe making a bet. Then she got naked. Then… I'm not sure, I said something and she got mad and started putting her clothes back on. Then we officially made the bet. But the good news is, I still get to have sex with her when I win the bet."

Emmett reached across the table, I assumed it was to give me a high five so I put my hand up. But he quickly rolled his eyes and smacked me upside the head instead. "That is the single dumbest thing that you have ever done."

"You think I'll lose?"

"Not only will you lose, but she will make you look like an ass. You don't know Bella."

My mouth fell open in shock. "But she'll still have sex with me, right?" I asked hopefully. The whole point of this was to just have sex with her. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I know, I say that all the time. I see a girl. I have sex with the girl. And then when it's all said and done, she looks like just any other girl. And I move on to the next hottest girl ever. But saying it like that makes me sound very shallow. But then again, I probably am. Damn it.

Emmett paused and took a sip of coffee while he thought. "I've known her longer than you so I'm going to help you out here. I'm going to say that you have about a 97% chance of having sex with her," Emmett shrugged.

"Yes!" I shouted, giving a victorious fist pump. I know it shouldn't be a victorious one yet, since I still haven't had sex with her. But if Emmett thinks it's going to happen, then there is a very good chance that it is going to happen. He is a genius. At least when it comes to things like that. He is a master at women. I can get any woman to sleep with me. Well, almost anyone. But my gift is a one shot thing. I get to have sex and then move on. Emmett has the amazing ability to get women to do whatever he wants them to do. He knows what they are thinking. That is why he is always in a relationship. Just like he wants to be. And that is why no girl has ever been able to break his heart. Okay, he has had his heart broken before. But for the sake of my argument, we're going to say all the stuff that happened before his giant growth sprout is irrelevant.

"She might not believe in love. But it seems like she enjoys a good night in bed." Emmett took another sip of coffee. "Plus, the way you guys talk, and by talk I mean argue like 3-year-olds, it looks like you're just seconds away from stripping each other naked and going at it right where you are."

I bounced excitedly in my seat. "Isn't that so hot? I was thinking the same thing! Do you think it could happen?"

Emmett shook his head and laughed. "Ha! Bella is…stubborn. Very stubborn, if she sets her mind to something. There is a very good chance that it will happen. Or not happen, in your case. You'll get her. Just not as fast and as easy as you think, bro.

I could feel my smile fall. "So I'm going to have to wait a year to have sex with her?"

Emmett shrugged again. "Just get her drunk. Seemed to work well last night. Until you fucked it up."

"Do you really think I would take advantage of a girl like that?" Emmett lifted an eyebrow and stared at me. I should have known that he wouldn't buy it. But maybe someone else would. "Did I at least sound a _little_ convincing?"

**-Bella-**

"Stupid mother fucking piece of fucking shit!" I cursed, and continued to curse a string of obscenities as my truck unexpectedly started to slow. I cut my wheel and barely made it to the side of the road as the engine sputtered and died. "Great! Just fucking great!"

"Calm down," Alice insists.

"Calm down?" I shout and punch my steering wheel. "Calm the fuck down?" Alright. So I think I do need to calm down. There is no need to spazz out right now. But it feels really good to swear. "Fuck me!"

"So that's the problem," Alice giggles to herself. "Don't take it out on the truck." She shrugs. "Just because you didn't get to have your way with Edward." I really feel like slapping the shit out of her right now. I settle for a death glare in her direction. "What?" She asks sheepishly.

"I don't need to have my way with him. Nor do I really want to. He's an ass." Alice rolls her eyes. "What?" I growl. She is dangerously close to getting slapped. Or punched. I haven't decided just how angry I am yet. "I was just going to have sex with him to have sex. It's what I do when I'm bored. You know that." Wow. That really makes me sound like a whore. I swear I'm not. Really. Maybe just a little. "But back to the issue at hand," I groan and let my head fall to the steering wheel. "My fucking truck just died and we're an hour away from home!"

"Call your dad," Alice shrugs. "He'll come and get us."

"We're an hour away and he's at work," I groan, hitting my head against the wheel a few times. That didn't help at all. It just gave me a headache. But at least Alice is quiet. Alice is never quiet. I turn my head and stare at her. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat, purses her lips and looks forward to stare out the window. "What?"

"Nothing," she shakes her head but refuses to look at me. I wait it out. I know she won't be able to stay quiet for long. So I just have to wait it out. "Fine," she groans and looks to me, returning to her normal self. "Just call Edward," she suggests and shrinks back, bracing herself for me to hit her.

Instead, I scramble out of the car and find a private spot to vomit some more. Shit. I should have known that was coming. The vomit and Alice's suggestion. Today sucks.

"Ha!" I laugh while wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and stand up to do my version of the happy snoopy dance. "I happen to know an excellent mechanic. And he's also very eager to… satisfy my other needs." I take Alice's cell and dial Jacob's number. Only issue is, he's not home. He's out with buddies. Fuck me. Nothing about today is going my way.

**-Edward-**

My talk with Emmett was extremely…confusing. Not at all what I was expecting. And he didn't even have any good advice to give me. He is the expert in women but Bella is acting more like a guy than a girl, so we're both lost. And I don't think going the typical approach for getting a man's attention is going to work. I think that me dressing slutty and being easy aren't going to help my case at all. And besides, she already knows I'm easy.

So I march back up the steps hoping that a shower will help bring me some clarity. But before I can reach the door, my phone rings. Maybe I won't have to think about this too much. She's already calling me. I guess I don't really need extra effort with her. Just extra time. "Hello," I answer with my confidant swagger.

"I need you." Her voice is a deep groan. That is the best way to start a conversation. Ever.

"Am I that irresistible that you've changed your mind already?" I tease.

But that doesn't seem to be what she wants to hear. There is a loud shriek followed by lots of arguing and the rustling of the phone being passed around. "Hey, Edward."

"Hey, Sis." I try to keep from sounding disappointed.

"Sorry. But Bella…will hurt me if I talk about her." Her voice is a whisper and I can hear more yelling in the background. "Bella's truck broke down. Help us?"

I agree. Sure it's not what I was expecting but at least I get to be close to Bella again. Now I have to do some quick thinking. I'm not going to be able to win Bella over if I'm not around her enough. And I don't think that I can count on her truck breaking down all the time.

I take five minutes to prepare myself, another five for a shower before I am ready for the drive, thinking I've come up with an awesome plan. I pull up to the girls and become their knight in shining armor. Bella is sitting in the car, still pouting, when Alice comes out to greet me. "Thanks," she offers.

"What's up with her?" I ask, gesturing in Bella's direction. Her hands are gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles are white. And I can't be sure from where I am but I think a very long string of obscenities are flowing freely from her beautiful mouth.

"Oh, you know how she is," Alice shakes her head. I don't respond, so Alice continues to talk. "She thinks you're an ass. And I agree," she screams at me, hitting me repeatedly in the chest. "You promised, you asshole!" For such a tiny girl, she sure can be terrifying. "Oh yeah. And she threw up again." She looks down and grimaces. "Yeah, I should have told you that first."

I follow her vision and find out that I am, for the second time today, standing in Bella's vomit. This girl better be worth it.

**-Bella-**

I have to laugh at the fact that this is the second time today that he's stepped in my vomit. And it's even better that this time because he's now tracked it into his car. Well, it kind of sucks right now because all I can smell is puke. But when I leave and he can't get that smell out of his car, it will all be worth it.

"So…" Edward begins to speak to me. I groan. Why did Alice have to insist that I sit in the front? Right beside this asshole. I sit very still so I don't give into the urge to vomit again. That's probably why I'm stuck up right next to the puke smell. "You had some car troubles."

"Yeah, I did," I roll my eyes. This guy is hopeless. How he can get any woman into bed is beyond me. His conversational skills are well below average. So he's not talking them into bed, that's for sure. And just about the only other options are… He's mildly attractive. Okay, so that's a lie, he's fucking gorgeous and that is enough to make woman fall at his feet. Or maybe he's got an impressively large penis. Why did I have to let my mind wander like that? I'm already sexually frustrated for starting but not finishing last night. I really really hate him.

"I was thinking," he starts again.

I couldn't help but laugh. The thought of Edward thinking was hilarious. "How did that work for you? It didn't hurt too much did it?"

Edward grips the steering wheel tighter and I watch the vein in his neck begin to bulge before he's able to calm himself. He is very amusing. And trying way too hard. "Can you let me finish."

"I thought that was it," I shrug and offer and innocent smile, batting my eyelashes a little for effect.

The vein in his neck bulges for just a quick second this time. "No. And please let me finish." He takes a deep breath and tries to relax himself. "Since we made this bet and all…" I roll my eyes. He still thinks he's going to be able to sleep with me? He is sadly mistaken. "It only seems fair that you at least make an effort."

"The point of a bet is to win. Why would I _try_ to fall in love with you? Try being the key word. Because it is so not happening."

"Not like that," Edward snaps and rolls his eyes. "Like, I don't know. Maybe we could go out or something."

"What?" Seemed to be the only way to express myself. That has to be the lamest way to ask a girl out. He made it sound like it was a chore for him. Why would it be a chore for him? He's the one that's an asshole.

"Well, obviously this won't work if we never see each other."

"Why not? That sounds wonderful to me." The vein in his neck is visible again. He is really easy to upset.

"It's the type of bet that we have to stay in contact for. How will I know if you've fallen in love if I never see you?"

I roll my eyes. Lame. "We've already discussed this. I'm honest. I swear to tell the truth."

"And how am I supposed to win you over if I never see you?"

"Another easy one," I shrug. "You don't."

His vein is so visible I can count his heartbeats this time. It amuses me just how easy it is for me to bother him. "If you're not going to work with me then the bet is off."

I shrug. That was easy. "Wonderful."

"When would you like to have sex?" Excuse me? Where is this coming from? I knew he was a bit arrogant. But this is surprising. "Get it over with now real quick? Or make a big production out of it?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I shout and try to keep myself from hitting him. He is driving and hitting him could be dangerous. I've already had one near crash today. I don't need to get in a real one.

"You're giving up. That means I win. You lose. We get to have sex."

I had to laugh at that. "You're giving up. I win. You lose. We never have sex."

"No, I'm adding a new condition to our bet, which you refuse to accept. You lose."

"I never lose. I never make a bet I can't win. I am so going to win this one. You don't get to change the rules."

"I'm not. The rules are the same. I just think it's not fair if we never see each other."

"He's right," Alice adds. Damn her. I thought she had fallen asleep back there. Why did she choose now to say something? And why did she have to agree with him? She's supposed to be my best friend. And she's supposed to be against this. I am completely forgetting that she changed her mind moments later. Because I simply don't want to believe there is a single grain of truth to that. "It's only fair." I am going to kill her when I get her alone. Literally kill her.

"What are we talking about here? Like once a month? Maybe less? Because there is no way I'm seeing you every day."

"Once a week?" he suggests. Still way too much. At that rate, I give it two months before I get so annoyed and/or bored that I end up fucking him. Not that that translates into me falling in love with him, or even liking him. It just means that I enjoy sex. And I am now very curious to see if he does have an impressively large dick. Damn it! I grimace and he changes his tune.

"Well that all depends on scheduling. I work. You work. School. I'm sure some weeks wouldn't align." That's a little more promising. I will work every day if keeps me away from Edward.

We sit in silence as I mull it over. "I don't know," I sigh. It all seems like a lot of work over a bet that I made while drunk. So drunk that I barely even remember it.

"The lady doth protest to much, methinks," Alice quotes behind us. She is really going to get hurt as soon as we're out of the car. "I mean, if you're so sure that you'll win, then what's the big deal?"

I quickly turn to glare at her, letting her know that I will be kicking her ass. But she doesn't shrink away. She just smiles and sticks out her tongue. "Alice," I groan. She knows exactly what that means.

"What?" She plasters the sweetest smile she can onto her face. "I told you I was conceding. I think this bet is the best thing for both of you. You're both all kinds of fucked up. And for some odd reason it just makes sense."

I keep my death glare on her for another minute before I turn back to Edward. "Fine. I guess that is acceptable. I will agree to our new terms," I manage to snarl through clenched teeth. This is going to be one long year.


	7. 6: We Do This My Way

**Chapter 6**

**We Do This My Way**

**-Bella-**

It had been one week since Edward and I had agreed to date. And now, I was being forced to pay up. Tonight I was going on a date with Edward. Ick. The very thought of it made my stomach twist in knots and I felt like throwing up. Not that it would surprise Edward in the least. He was already very familiar with my vomit.

Edward was planning on doing a traditional dinner and a movie date. It seemed easy enough. But then I got to thinking… Going out to dinner would require us talking. Presumably a lot, to avoid long awkward pauses. And I hate silence so even if the plan were to involve a lot of awkward silences I would still end up rambling on and on about nothing like it's my God damn job. And it's not like there are a whole lot of options at dinner. Talk. Eat. I think that just about sums it up. And the thought of having to talk with Edward out in public in a civil manner made me want to drink. Excessively. And not just water. I would want to get fucked up on anything that contained alcohol. And we all know what happens when I drink. I don't just drink. I get drunk. I get goofy and belligerent followed by desperate and horny. So I'd probably tear another one of his shirts open and fuck him senseless. And then to conclude our evening, my grand finale would be to get sick. I don't want any of that to occur. So I devised a plan. A genius plan, if I do say so myself. All I had to do was find a way to distract myself. A kind of preemptive strike to hold the boredom at bay and to keep me from doing anything with Edward that I might regret when I sober up.

I smirked, twirling my hair around my index finger playfully. I needed to have this set up just right for my plan to be in effect. I was lying in the bed, my body propped up with the soft pillows against my back. I pulled the sheet up over my body as a chill traveled up my spine. This place needed heat. I know it's winter and it's cold outside but this is a house. Houses need heat. But I suppose I wouldn't really be all that cold if I had any amount of clothing on. But that is beside the point.

I glanced at the clock on the wall. Patience is not a virtue of mine, I must admit. I had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes. And I was beginning to rethink my strategy. I've got things to do and people to see. Like my date with Edward. I fought the urge to vomit. What is it about this man that turns my insides into jelly? And more importantly I had to get something out of the way first. My distractions. Things to see and people to do.

Maybe I should have called ahead. Or maybe I could have taken care of business on my own. I know that it's not nearly as much fun. It gets the job done but it's not the real thing. I don't think it would have the needed distracting effect. But I also do not think that waiting is very much fun either. Especially since while devising this brilliant plan of mine, I had gotten myself all worked up envisioning it's dramatic conclusion and I was now desperate to find the release I was so greatly in need of. I looked to the clock again, two minutes had passed. I was just about to reach for my phone and dial the familiar number before I heard the load purr of the motorcycle engine. I released a breath that I wasn't aware I was holding. And even more thankfully, I only heard the roar of one engine. Last time was a little embarrassing. A group of three boys walking in on you when you're naked, when you're only expecting one is a little awkward.

I reposition myself on the bed again, making sure that it would look perfect as he walked through the door. There is nothing sexier than finding a naked girl in your bed, at least that's what I'm hoping right now. All the important parts are covered by the sheet. I know he's seen me naked countless times before but I think covering up just the slightest little bit adds to the mystique a bit. The rest of my flesh is left bared to remind him of the fact that I am in fact, naked and waiting for him in his bed. I am naked except for the black buck-me-boots. Because what man in their right mind isn't turned on at the mere sight of those? There is a reason they are called fuck-me-boots after all.

"Surprise." I smile as Jacob walks into his bedroom.

"Shit, Bella. What are you doing?" Jacob quickly pulls the door closed behind him. I fight the urge to roll my eyes, I'm sure that his father is already completely aware of what we're doing. These walls aren't very thick after all. And neither one of us is very good at keeping quiet.

I roll my eyes. Sweet innocent Jacob. "What does it look like I'm doing?" I smirk playfully and lower the sheet a little. If he didn't already know what I wanted before, I'm sure my flashing him has gotten my objective. I want sex. I need sex. This is my great plan. If I have sex with Jacob right now maybe that will be sufficient enough to keep me from wanting to fuck Edward tonight. Much to my disdain I had been having regular thoughts about having sex with Edward since I've met him. The forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest. First, he's Alice's brother and that alone should put him on the cannot have list. And I made a bet with him in which I am now not allowed to have sex with him. For a year. I've only known him days and I want to have sex with him already. How am I going to make it a year? I hope this plan works.

**-Edward-**

Fuck, I was acting like such a girl right now. I have hours before my 'date' with Bella but I find myself with the urge to prepare myself very early. And it's a good thing too. This is very frustrating. Bella is a very frustrating girl. She has caused my mind all sorts of fucked up. I couldn't even select and outfit today. I found myself staring into my large closet for the past fifteen minutes trying to select an outfit. Usually this was the easy part. In the past, I simply didn't give a shit. I knew, without a doubt, that any time I went on a date with a woman that the end result would be the same. I would be having sex with her and it would be wonderful. I could have showered in shit and still somehow found a way to get into bed with the lucky girl by the end of the night. But today was the first time I was having doubts. I had known Bella for over a week now and my impressive charms had still not been able to get her into my bed. I was beginning to wonder I had somehow lost my mojo. Is that even possible? Could I really be just your average guy with average capabilities? Impossible. I'm Edward Cullen. I can have any woman I want. And I want Bella Swan. Why does she have to be the only one immune to my mastery of flirting? Time to call in reinforcements. "Alice!" I scream over my shoulder but I remain rooted in my spot. I quickly turn my attention back to my clothes and rest my hand on my chin, completing my 'The Thinker' pose.

"Yes?" I hear her soft voice as she soundlessly enters my room.

"I need your help." I state still holding my stance, brow drawn in thought as I look into my closet with hopeless eyes. "Please." I add after a silent moment passes. Did I really just resort to using my please and thank you's? God, if this doesn't end soon I am going to grow a vagina and all of this work will be for nothing.

I don't even have to turn to look at her to know that she rolls her eyes. "And to what do I owe this pleasure? You hate asking for help. And you're generally too big of a pain in the ass to ask nicely."

"Ugh." I groan in frustration, running my fingers through my hair. "I have nothing to wear." My words come out in a whine and I am totally ashamed of myself.

Alice's light laughter does not help my mood. "You were always a little metro and I was okay with that. I think that can be very cute in a guy. There is nothing wrong with meticulous grooming and a good sense for fashion. But you might be crossing the line just a little bit. You sound like a total girl right now." She teases. I finally look away from my closet and glare at her. She sucks as a sister sometimes. "Sorry, but it's just what we do." She shrugs then pulls her bottom lip out in a pout. "And this is where you're supposed to make fun of me for being short or annoying or whatever you're feeling at the moment." She crosses her arms and stares at me but I just can't come up with a comeback. "You're taking all the fun out of this." She lets out a heavy sigh. "You're worse than me when I'm PMSing when you don't get laid, Edward. I swear to God." She snaps at me.

"Tell me about it." I groan and roll my eyes, turning my attention back to my closet. "Now help me win over your BFF so I can get back to being my annoying old self." I offer her a forced smile and she returns it with a genuine one. First, she loves the idea of me and Bella being together. She seems to think it is a match made in heaven. I don't know why, I just want to have sex with Bella. And Bella seems to want to have nothing to do with me so I don't know how Alice's vision of us as the 'perfectly imperfect couple' is going to happen but I will let her have her dream. Second, Alice loves anything to do with shopping, clothing and fashion. I think she bought more than half of the clothes that fill my closet. So I'm sure she's about ready to have a fashion orgasm at the thought of dressing me for this date.

As her smile grows her brown eyes light up and she grabs my arm and pulls me from the room. "None of that will do." Her voice is now stern as she waves her hand dismissively towards my closet. She does not mess around when it comes to dressing. "We are going shopping." The passion in her voice frightens me. What did I get myself into? I just wanted her to throw a shirt in my hands and offer some helpful advice. I should know her much better by now.

**-Bella-**

"Bella." Jacob sighs, walking closer to me. His voice sounds a little sad and deflated. Not how I envisioned this going. "I know what you're doing."

"Then why'd you ask?" I shrug my shoulders a little. I keep my charade up. Jacob might not be on board with my plan yet, but he will be. I am going to leave him with no choice.

He sits on the bed and stares into my eyes. He's being such a gentleman, not using this time to stare at my tits that I am proudly displaying for him. "I thought we talked about this." He places a blanket around my shoulders, covering me up again. This is very disappointing. His hands should be all over my boobs right now. In his adolescence he would get hard that the mere thought of getting to have sex with me. Is he going through some weird sort of twenty-something male menopause? I really don't like this.

"Stop being such a gentleman, Jake." I groan. "We talked about this. Yeah, I know all about it. But I thought we came to an agreement." I smile sweetly, hoping to win him over.

"So we're going to do this my way." A familiar smiles creeps up onto his face. He knows me better than that. I will never allow anyone to do something any way other than my way.

I bite my lower lip. "Not exactly." I remain coy and aloof. That is usually the best way to win Jacob over.

"Then you should put your clothes back on and go home, Bella." He stands but I grab his arm and pull him back down to the bed. Really? He's just going to walk away from this? So much for the fuck-me-boots, I thought I had it in bag with that.

"Please, Jake. Hear me out." I sigh. Looks like coy and aloof isn't going to work this time. Time for a different approach. "I am aware of your feelings. Mission accomplished. But you are also aware of mine and that is not going to change. I like you. You're a great friend. But we'll never be more than that. I've never led you to believe anything else." Jacob has a very obvious crush on me. More than a crush he says. He thinks he has developed real feelings for me. And it's a little depressing. Jacob is a blast. He is so much fun to hang out with, in the bedroom and out of it. But the fact that he is now having a hard time dealing with his feelings for me, our friendship and our fuck buddy agreement was now becoming compromised. I didn't want to let him go. But I wasn't going to lie to the kid. I wasn't going to lead him on and break his heart. I'm not a cold-hearted bitch.

"And how is that supposed to help?" He rolls his eyes. "I told you what I need from you for this to continue." He wants us to date. He wants to try having a relationship. I refuse. Not because I don't like him. I do. Other than Alice, he is my best friend. I've known him most of my life. But like I said, I don't want to give the kid false hope. I want to keep this friendship in tact. And I would really like to keep having sex with him too. No strings attached.

"And that is not going to happen." I shake my head. I've explained it all to him before. But he, like Edward, is refusing to believe that love doesn't exist. Jacob thinks that since our friendship is so strong and we have such a good physical connection that love would just come naturally for us. I almost punched him when he said it. But I know my luck, I would have only injured myself if I tried. So instead I am forced to remind him of my thoughts every time we see each other. "But what I do know is, if you want this to continue at all. You're going to have to relax your rules a little bit."

"No, Bella. I care about you. I _really_ care about you. And I want more than this. I don't want to keep sneaking around. I want more than this. I want more than this friendship with benefits bullshit."

"If you want anything at all then you're going to have to forget all about your fantasies of a house with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids. That is so not going to happen. I can be your friend. And I can give you benefits. But you're not getting anything more from me." I stand and pout.

So much for getting it all out of my system before seeing Edward. This date was going to be bad. It was either going to end up with me throwing up in his car again or me having sex with him, most likely also in his car. And quite possibly both. If it's the worst date ever, both at the same time. And he has a very nice car. I don't want to throw up in it…again. But sex… No, I will not allow myself to think about having sex with Edward in his car. No matter how nice it sounds right now. I pull my gray sweatshirt over my head. "If you're going to keep being a bitch about this. I might just become nothing to you. Goodbye, Jake."

"Bella." He groans, following me across the room. His warm hand is tightly gripping my arm as he locks eyes with me. "You know I can't say no to you." His smile creeps back onto his face. And I return it. He throws his shirt to the ground. "I want more from you, yeah. I'm not going to lie to you." His voice is rough and low. He pulls my body against his, our faces only inches apart. I can feel his breath warm on my ear as he whispers. "But when it comes to you, I will take what I can get." His hand runs under my sweatshirt and pulls it over my head, allowing it to drop to his floor. "And if sex is all I can get from you." He pauses a moment to nibble at my earlobe, not fair, he knows that drives me crazy. "I won't disappoint you." He backs me up onto the bed. He starts at my feet, admiring my boots. His hands slowly travel up the black leather before finally connecting with the flushed skin of my thigh. He places a gentle kiss on the inside of my thigh before letting his hand continue up my body. "Because do I love the things that you do to me." He smirks before kissing just below my navel. I knew I could talk him into it. I just hope it works.

**-Edward-**

I return home two hours later with an armful of clothing. Alice may have gone a little overboard with the shopping. I now have a completely new wardrobe. Alice is now staring me down, her eyes traveling up and down my frame scrutinizing everything about me. It makes me feel a little awkward and I regret asking for her help. I should have just thrown on anything from my closet there was nothing wrong with the reliable jeans and T-shirt combo.

She had me try on about five different outfits and had it narrowed down to the final two. I could really care less at this point and found myself zoning out as she prattled on about how the green shirt really made my eyes pop. I find myself thinking about Bella. I am trying to formulate a plan that will surely get myself into bed with her. It's proving to be difficult. I have never met a girl that thinks like her yet. But Alice on the other hand…

"Alice," I smile sweetly. "Thank you for all your help. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She sees right through me and rolls her eyes. "Not get laid, that's what." She falls onto my bed and smiles. "Now that you look the part, you want to be able to act the part. Am I right?" She raises her brow. As usual, she had me. I nod my head. "I know this should go against my better judgement, helping you to seduce my best friend, but I have a feeling."

"Ooh, a feeling." I hide my head in my hands in mock fear.

"Shut up." Alice snaps at me crossing her petite arms over her chest. "If you want my help you're going to have to be nice to me."

I scoff. "Where would be the fun in that? You love to fight with me."

"I really hate you sometimes." She pouts. Because as usual, I am right. "You're not going to win Bella over like you've been able to do with all the other girls."

"Obviously." I roll my eyes. "If that were the case I'd be fucking her right now."

"Edward, you're such a… there isn't even a word for what you are. You're just an uber-perv with a huge ego."

I give her a half smirk and raise my eyebrow. "And a huge-"

She holds up a tiny hand to silence me. "Please don't continue." I shrug. "You're so impossible sometimes, Edward. I'm trying to help you and all you're doing is annoying me. Do you want me to help you make her fall in love with you, or not?"

"Well, mostly I just want to fu…" I cut myself off. I do not want to incur the wrath of Alice anymore. "Yes." I state simply giving Alice my biggest grin ever. "That is exactly what I want."

**-Bella-**

Jacob was hovering over top of me as we lay on his bed. Our clothes had already been thrown to the floor. His tongue was in my mouth, encircling mine. His hand was gently kneading the tender flesh of my breast as a soft moan escaped him.

Jacob wasn't the most experienced 'lover' but he was a good friend. That made him safe and easy to approach just for sex. And he did get the job done. I always enjoyed myself. Sometimes it would take a little coaxing on my part, but he could sometimes be a little tame for my liking. I think that sometimes his feelings interfered with his abilities to properly fuck me. Like right now, instead of trying to fuck me, he was trying to make love to me. And when only one party is interested in love making it awkward and unsatisfying. I think he needs a little reminder of what we're supposed to be doing. Slow and gentle wasn't going to be a good enough distraction for tonight. I push him onto his back and kissed him with great force and passion. I licked my lips and smiled playfully as I reached my hand between his legs. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as I lowered my down to him, just as the door swung open. Fuck me. Or more appropriately right now, not.

"Hey, Jake." Billy immediately stops speaking as his eyes settle on us. Jacob pushes me off of him and I land on the floor with a loud thud. The color drains from Billy's tan face as he mumbles a quick word of apology and closed the door again.

"Fuck." Jacob curses as the runs about the room looking for his clothing, occasionally throwing something of mine at me.

I can't help but lay on the floor and laugh. It's just my luck. "Please tell me your dad didn't just walk in while I had your cock in my mouth." I bite my lip to keep my laughter from getting to loud. Jacob doesn't respond he just glares at me, not finding the humor in the situation. "So we're done?" I ask in an unsure tone. If he already seen what's going on we might as well finish. But knowing Jacob he doesn't see it that way.

"Fuck. Yes, Bella. We're done. My dad just walked in while your mouth was on my dick." He stepped into his jeans and quickly zipped them.

"What?" I shrug, sitting up on the floor. "Like he didn't know there was something going on between us. And you're dad is kind of cool about things like this. He understands that you're a man." I try to salvage my hope that we could continue.

"He saw your mouth on my dick, Bella. Doesn't that freak you out a little?" He throws his gray T-shirt over his head.

I sigh, my plan has been shattered. This sucks. I roll my eyes and start to redress. "I'd be a little less concerned with what Billy thinks of you right now and more concerned with who his best friend is." I remind him. If I don't get to have any fun in the sexual sense at least I will get to have fun fucking with his mind. "Because you know the way Charlie will see it won't be so much as me putting my mouth on your dick but more like it being your dick in my mouth, corrupting his sweet little innocent Bells."

"Fuck!" He curses loud enough for the entire reservation to hear. I shrug and climb out his window, the same way I got in and disappear to my truck. Now I will have no distractions for tonight. And I am now very sexually frustrated. I had gotten myself started and didn't get to finish. Tonight was going to be bad. Worst date ever kind of bad.

**-Edward-**

Alice and Emmett were both seated on my bed spilling everything they knew about Bella. If I was going to be successful tonight I would follow all of their advice. So far Emmett's words of wisdom were to simply get her drunk. Alice had smacked him upside the head for that one. Now she had taken over the conversation and was insisting all that I had to do differently with Bella was to never mention love or do anything that she could associate with love. The rest would just fall into place naturally. Only problem was, that was all I had. Those were my moves. I used a woman's willingness and ability to fall in love with me as my move. It was my signature move and Alice was telling me it was useless.

"So what am I supposed to do?" I hide my face in my hands as I groan in frustration.

"Be yourself." She says for the tenth time, like I'm stupid. I turn to Emmett and wordlessly plead with him to explain my thinking to Alice.

"That's all he's got," Emmett says with a shrug. "He is a complete moron when it comes to anything other than convincing a woman that he is madly in love with them."

Alice lets out a heavy sigh. "Just be yourself." She says again. I really feel like shaking her, maybe that will help her get it. When she hears me release an angry growl she elaborates. "Be your annoying witty self. Like you are with me."

I knit my brow together in confusion. "That makes you want to have sex with me?" I am a little creeped out by that.

"Eww, no." She shakes her head, her face wrinkling into a look that is pure revulsion. "Gross. Not at all, Edward. How could you think that? I'm your sister."

"But you said…"

She shakes her head and interrupts me. "I said to do that with _Bella_. None of your stupid little ploys will ever get me to think of you as anything other than annoying. But Bella on the other hand will love it. All you guys try being saps to win her over and it obviously doesn't work. Be sarcastic and annoying. Trust me. It will work. I don't know why or how. But it will."

"Alice, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Emmett shakes his head at his sister. He turns to look at me. "Dude, seriously, just get her drunk." Alice raises her hand to smack him upside the head again but he catches her arm and holds it in place. "You know I'm right."

Alice sighs and drops her hand in her lap. She knows that Emmett has her there. "Don't get her too drunk please. Just a little buzzed. You know she had a terrible habit of projectile vomiting. I think that might ruin all the hard work we've put into this evening."

With that they left me. And strangely I was again feeling confident with myself. I had a swagger in my step as I walked to my car. I began the drive to her house and I could envision how the night would go. The beginning and middle weren't so exciting, your average and boring date. But the conclusion would all be worth it. Bella would be like putty in my hands. Her body writhing under my masterful touch. I smirked to myself as I pulled into her driveway. This was going to be one hell of a night.


	8. 7: Your Guard

**Chapter 7**

**You're Guard**

**-Edward-**

I had arrived to pick Bella up right on time. And because she is anything but your typical girl, she was actually ready. I offered her a smile as I greeted her at the door but she didn't return it. She smacked her gum loudly and glared at me. And let me tell you, if looks could kill, I would definitely be a goner.

"You look lovely," I sigh. I know Alice had told me to avoid saying things like that but I couldn't help myself. She does look amazing. In the middle of prepping me for my date Alice had disappeared for a short time. Now I understand why. I'm sure it was her way of making sure Bella was ready. And by God she was. She looked amazing in a tight navy dress. Her skin looked amazing against that color. Damn, Alice was really wearing down on me for me to notice that of all things. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun. She wore very little makeup and no jewelry. Her lack of distracting accessories just made her look even better. I noticed every curve of her body through the tightness of that dress that clung to her skin. It was taking every ounce of self-control to keep myself from pouncing on her at that very moment.

"Oh, Edward," she swoons in a breathy voice, sending chills down my spine. She uses an overly dramatic flair, throwing her arm to her head. "I just can't resist your charms. Take me now."

"What?" I snap, with a shrug of my shoulders. "I was just being honest. You do look nice." So nice, in fact, I want to bend you over this car and fuck you right here.

"Shut up," she says, rolling her eyes and pushing me forward. "Let's hurry up and get this over with." She takes a step forward and it looks like she rolls her ankle. "Fuck!" she curses loudly as I am again at her side, helping to support her.

"Are you okay? You didn't sprain anything did you?" It didn't look like anything major but being the son of a doctor, I guess I'm always assuming the worst.

"No. Fuck! I'm fine. God damn it! Fuck! Why did I have to fucking listen to Alice? I told her I would fucking-"

Now that I know she's not really hurt, I throw my head back and laugh. Wrong move. She stops speaking and looks at me as if she's trying to burn my flesh off with her eyes. Time for smooth and suave Edward to save the day. I offer her my best smile as I wrap my arm around her waist and help her to slowly walk to the car. I can't help but notice how wonderful she smells as I get closer to her. It's soft and inviting, like a bouquet of wild flowers. But also very sweet and tempting, like a rich and decadent dessert. "You know you're far too beautiful to be using words like that. It's almost unnatural to watch that perfect mouth of yours say such things," I say, allowing my fingers to brush against her soft lips. What a smooth line, I give myself some props. Score one for team Edward. But God what I wouldn't give to feel those lips curl around my cock.

Her nostrils flare and her gaze intensifies. I take that back. There is no score. There is no hope of scoring with this chick. I think I've just made her even more angry. "Fuck you!" she curses loudly and pushes me away from her again. Time to go with Alice's advice. I need to stop using my usual moves, those are getting me nowhere. Time to be what Alice calls…Assward.

I arch an eyebrow and smirk. "That's the plan."

**-Bella-**

The minutes have been slowly ticking by. It's over an hour into our date and we're nowhere near being done yet. He's turned up his annoyance factor tenfold. The car ride was uneventful. His car no longer smells like my vomit. I am both thankful (because I really didn't want to be driving around with that smell all night) and saddened (because honestly it would be really funny if this asshole couldn't ever get that awful smell out). He spent the entire drive making veiled references to having sex with me. And dinner was no different. I did my best to be cordial and polite, I only snapped at him a few times. And that was mostly in response to his crude sexual advances. Because no matter what I tried, he was getting to me. Slowly, he was wearing me down.

As he spoke I often found myself thinking about having sex with him. And that was very dangerous. Once I begin to think about it, I begin to obsess about it. Thankfully, I didn't do what I normally would. I didn't get drunk. I only had a few glasses of wine, which left me with a happy and warm feeling. I had just enough of a buzz for it to cloud my that were now all about having my way with Edward. Thoughts that were probably going to lead to actions. I would have been better off just getting drunk; at least then I would have an excuse for doing something stupid with Edward, if it came to that.

And then came the movie portion of our date. And everything changed. He was quiet. His eyes were on the screen, only occasionally looking to me with a crooked smile, as if he was keeping some kind of secret from me. It drove me insane but in the most interesting kind of way. Instead of wanting to smack that grin off his face, as I have since getting to know him, I found I wanted nothing more than to feel his lips against mine. I sucked in my lower lip and took a deep breath, trying to clear my head. That small simple breath made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I released my breath slowly and inhaled again. Fuck. He smells fucking amazing! It's like…there isn't even something to compare it to. It's like pure pheromones, making me want nothing more than to… must not finish that thought. I can't help it. His smell is like molten hot and raw sex. Pure and simple. There is no other way to describe it. Everything about him is exuding pure sex. His carefully messed up hair. His playful smirk and perfectly maintained stubble. His choice of wardrobe; I can't help but notice the simple blue button up that is just begging for me to rip it open and feast on his flesh. I nibble on my bottom lip and take in another deep breath. A low moan escapes my throat and I pray he didn't hear it.

"What was that, Bella?" Fuck. He did hear me.

Since I am currently unable to formulate a complete sentence I simply shake my head. I lick my lips and my mind wanders away from the movie and begins to think about Edward. All the things I want to do to Edward. Right now it's all about tearing his clothes off and having my way with him. It's funny how something as simple as his wonderful musky scent of raw sex can turn my hatred for him to lust. I really curse the fact that I didn't get to finish my distraction with Jacob today. I don't know how I'm going to make it through this date without fucking Edward.

"Are you enjoying the movie?" he leans over and whispers in my ear. His voice is suddenly less repulsive and now sounds like smooth velvet, trying to coax me into his bed. I take in a deep breath of him and my body almost convulses from desire. My heart is racing faster than it ever has and my eyes grow wide. How can he do it? Now it's beginning to make sense. I'm beginning to see how he does it. I can now see why so many women find him so desirable. He has some kind of voodoo powers that drive women insane.

Again, I can't seem to find my voice so I just shake my head and turn away from him. Looking at his face is only making things worse. His face puts Adonis to shame. I didn't realize until just now how astonishingly gorgeous he is. I've always been able to see him as attractive but now he just looks ridiculously good-looking. It's almost impossible that such a perfect creature exists. I stare at the movie screen to keep myself from studying his features with my eyes so hungry to devour every inch of his flesh.

I close my eyes and lean back in the chair, concentrating on breathing in and out. Slowly. Breathe normal and let your heart stop racing. Damn this guy! I really thought this would be easier. I thought I could keep hating him for the entire year. I can't even make it through one lousy date. With my eyes still closed my mind is racing with all sorts of different scenarios. Most of which are about Edward and I having sex. In his car. In his bed. On his kitchen counter. In this movie theater. Anywhere and everywhere.

"What's wrong?" Edward asks; I can hear him shift in his seat to look at me. His amazing scent fills my senses again. I bit on my lip hoping that the pain would distract me from how his voice and his smell and his looks and every damn thing about him that is suddenly the equivalent of the best sex ever. It didn't. Not even one little bit.

I let out a heavy breath and it doesn't help at all. I am still thinking of jumping his bones in the middle of a crowded movie theater. I clear my throat, hoping that it will help me find my voice finally. "I'm thinking." I keep my eyes closed tightly and strain just to get the words out sounding normal. It didn't sound very convincing, even to me.

Edward lets out a quiet laugh and that sends a sharp shiver up my spine. How can his laugh even sound like sex? "In the middle of a movie? What could possibly be more important at this time?"

I bite my lip and exhale heavily. "Bunnies," I spoke the first word that came to mind. Seems harmless enough. Soft and cute. Really cuddly. Kid friendly. Mom approved. Bugs bunny. He's funny. The Easter bunny. He brings presents. Who doesn't like that? Roger Rabbit. Not a bunny but close enough. And then there was Jessica Rabbit. And she was sexy. And I dressed up as Jessica Rabbit two years ago for Halloween. I had really amazing sex in a linen closet with someone dressed as Jesus. There was something really disturbingly hot about that. And then I can't forget that my favorite vibrator is called the Rabbit. Damn it. No more rabbits. Rabbits just lead to sex. Stick to bunnies. Small, cute, innocent bunnies. The Duracell Bunny. Batteries. Harmless. But then I think about how he can keep going and going and going… Damn it! Why is it so hard to stop thinking about sex? Then there just so happens to be Playboy bunnies. And I think it's very easy to make the leap to sex from that one. But I think I might be able to make just about anything sexual right now.

I sink farther down into my seat and groan. "What is wrong with you?" Edward leans in even closer and I can feel his breath warm against my face. A soft whimper escapes me. He must think I've lost my mind.

"Bunnies," I groan. "Fucking bunnies." My voice is small and defeated. There is no way to stop it now. It is going to take nothing short of a miracle to keep me from having my way with Edward tonight. But the real question is, do I really want that miracle to happen? At this point in time, I think I don't. Maybe it's time to change my tactics a little. If I play along, maybe he will lose interest in me.

**-Edward-**

I discretely watch her writhe as she pretends to watch the movie. But it's kind of hard to follow the plot with your eyes closed. The credits are now beginning to roll and her eyes are still closed. "Are you sure you're feeling alright, Bella?"

She nods her head almost violently. "Hmmm," is the only response she seems to be capable of giving me.

This girl is totally mental. But absolutely irresistible. I lean over to her, my face just a few inches away from hers. I spend every bit of energy I have to keep myself from kissing her. "Bella, open your eyes," I whisper. Her body shivers slightly but her eyes remain closed. "The movie's over." Her eyes open quickly as I rest my hand on her arm and she again shivers. "Here." I shrug off my jacket and hand it to her. Damn it, how did thoughtful Edward sneak back out.

"Thanks," she smiles at me and slips the jacket on. I guess she's finally warming up to me. Maybe there is hope for a happy ending after all.

"We should get you home," I say. I stand and offer her my hand. She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and accepts my hand. I can't help but smirk. I am finally winning this girl over. And it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. "You look tired. Did you fall asleep?"

She stares at me in confusion for a minute before answering. "No. Yes. No. I don't know. Maybe," she speaks as quickly as she changes her mind. Why do I always want the crazy ones?

I sigh and walk her out of the theater. I pause and I watch for a second as thick snowflakes quickly fall, covering everything in a heavy blanket of white. My hand brushes up against her arm and she shivers again. "You wait here. I'll bring the car around."

I turn my back to her but she grabs my arm and pulls me back to her. "Thank you," she offers me a smile before burying her face into my jacket. I return her smile and start to walk back to the car. I pat at my pockets, looking for my keys and groan. They're in my damn coat pocket. I turn back around just in time to watch Bella roll her ankle again. The curse words that slip from her mouth are masked by the sound of screeching tires.


	9. 8: Connect the Dots

**Chapter 8**

**Connect the Dots**

**-Edward-**

My feet are moving faster than I thought was humanly possible. Every thought I had went flying out of my mind, left behind as my feet raced faster and faster with each step. The only thought I had was all consuming. I must get to her. I must reach her. I must save her. The scene was playing out in slow motion. Bella slipping on a patch of ice, turning and twisting her ankle again. Slowly crumpling down to the icy pavement, a look of sharp pain registering on her face as she reached for her ankle. The car speeding forward over a slick patch of black ice. I bet the driver can't even see her. But she can see him. Her brown eyes grow wide as the car skids closer to her. She doesn't scream or even make a sound. She doesn't attempt to get out of the way. She is frozen in place like a deer in headlights. I watch as her eyes resign to her fate. They don't reflect any sadness or sorrow. They don't plead for just a few more seconds. She simple releases a heavy sigh and accepts the fate of death. She may have accepted it. But I refuse to. I refuse to idly sit by and watch her die. I will reach her. I will save her.

I try to call out for her but I find my voice is lost. Not that calling her name would do any good if she's already checked herself out. All of my energy is being channeled into running towards her. She closes her eyes and puts on a brave face as the wind whips through her hair, sending it billowing around her. In that moment she looks like an angel; peaceful and serene, the hint of a smile playing on her face as she waits for her life to flash before her eyes. As I am just inches from her, I brace myself for the impact. It looks to be inevitable. I can try to save her but at what cost? My life too? That's a risk I am willing to take. There is something about Bella that draws me to her. That makes me feel the need to protect her. I am so close to Bella that I can feel the heat radiating off of her skin. Her sweet scent is enveloping me. Her long hair is brushing against my skin as it blows wild and free in the wind. And the car is so close I can hear the music playing from its stereo. I can see the white of the driver's eyes, wide with panic.

I feel my body slam into Bella's small frame hard, both of us tumbling and crashing to the icy pavement beneath us. Bella's head hits with a loud thud. A cold blast of air hits us as the car whizzes past, leaving us behind safely on the sidewalk. I finally release the breath I wasn't aware I was holding and let my body relax. Bella's body is warm but still beneath mine. My hands reach up to her face, my thumbs gently caressing her cheeks. "Bella," I call to her but get no response. "Bella," I try again, beginning to panic. There are so many things that could have happened to her. That could have hurt her. She could have passed out from shock. She could have hit her head hard enough for her to pass out. I could have done some serious damage just by trying to save her life. That doesn't seem fair. I was just trying to help. "Bella, if you can hear me please open your eyes," I plead.

"Is it over?" she questions softly, peaking one eye open a little.

My hands stay on the sides of her face, protectively cradling her head. I lower my head, my forehead resting against hers. Our breathing comes in heavy pants as we stare into each other's eyes.

**-Bella-**

"Are you alright, Bella?" He looks into my eyes, studying everything about me. "Be careful. Try not to move too much you could have some injuries that the shock is masking. I'm sure you have a concussion. You hit your head pretty hard. Does anything hurt?"

"Everything," I respond. His brow knits together in confusion and worry. "You're kind of crushing me."

He shifts his weight but doesn't stop hovering over me. "Better?" he asks softly.

"Yes, thank you," I respond. "For moving and for saving me." I can't tear my eyes away from his.

"Bella, are you alright?" he asks me again. "I think you could have a concussion from the fall. Possibly shock. And it looked like you twisted your ankle pretty badly. A sprain maybe, or a break. We'll get you to a hospital. My father can look you over and decide."

I can't help but roll my eyes. Been there. Done that. "Ooh, the doctor's son using some big fancy words on me. It's fine. I'm fine. My head's fine. Everything is fine. Thank you for your concern. It's very… touching." My eyes travel down to his hand that is gently resting on my breast. I'm sure that he was completely unaware of it until I pointed it out. He quickly moves his hand away. "I just tweaked my ankle a little. It will be all better by morning. And I'm fairly certain that I'm not in shock. People in shock are usually a little less coherent and don't usually make jokes. So I think I'm good. And I've had concussions before. I know what it feels like. This is not it."

"Why does that not surprise me?" His mouth twists into his beautiful crooked smile. God, I hate it when he does that. Please make him stop.

I suck in my lower lip and gnaw on it. It's all I can do to keep myself from grabbing his face and sucking it off in the most passionate kiss of his life. I take a deep breath and try to distract myself by speaking. With my track record, I'm sure this will be bad. I have a chronic case of verbal diarrhea. "Have you ever noticed how every time you're put into these life endangering situations that-"

Edward has cut off my train of thought with his melodically seductive laughter. "No. I have never noticed anything about life endangering situations because unlike you, I can avoid them. This is my first."

"Oh, a disaster virgin. So glad that I could be the one there for it."

"No one better to show me the ropes than you," Edward rolls his eyes as he speaks. "Because no one gets their life put in danger as much as you, Bella."

I dramatically roll my eyes. "It's not that bad. It's only the first time you've saved my life."

"But I'm sure it won't be my last."

I choose to ignore him and continue my story. Again, why can't I stop this diarrhea of the mouth? "You didn't notice that as we hovered precariously close to death just a few short moments ago how much it makes you want…" I suck in a sharp breath. I was not about to admit how much I wanted to sex him right then and there. Yes, this is why I should wear a muzzle. Let's try again. "Your heart is racing. Your adrenaline is surging through your veins. It makes you want… It makes you feel like…" Why can't I just stop? Can I please contract some strange disease to render my mouth paralyzed? "You just want to rip off all your clothes, grab the person closest to you, regardless of who it is and without caring about where or who's watching or anything for that matter, and just go at it like two…" That is where I must stop myself. I suck in a sharp breath and bite my tongue. Literally. I have to actually bite my tongue to keep myself from speaking.

**-Edward-**

I arch an eyebrow. It all makes sense now. "Bunnies?" I suggest. I watch her cheeks flush to a deep shade of crimson. It's adorable how she can do that. Bella can go from being perfectly comfortable admitting as she undresses you, how she is using you just for sex. But the moment that I imply she was thinking about having sex, she blushes. I guess she can dish it out but she can't take it.

"Something like that," she says.

If it's sex the girl wants, it's sex the girl will get. "I think that can be arranged," I say, unable to hold it back anymore. I smirk, happy that I am finally going to get the girl. It only took us both nearly dying to get it. But considering we didn't, it was all worth it. I lower my face down to hers. But before I can make contact with her luscious lips she turns her head away. "What is this?" I groan, "Pretty Woman?"

"Huh?" Bella's head snaps back to look at me.

"Pretty Woman. Romantic Comedy. Julia Roberts. Richard Gere."

"Never seen it."

What woman hasn't seen it? I've been forced by every single girl I've ever dated to watch it with them. "She's a prostitute with-"

Bella draws her eyebrows together and her beautiful brown eyes flash with anger. "You're comparing me to a prostitute?"

"Yes. No." I shake my head. Why does Bella have to do this to me? Every time I think I'm getting somewhere with her she puts the brakes on. "No," I say adamantly. "You've really have never seen this movie?"

"No," she admits, shaking her head.

"Well, she is a prostitute with a heart of gold. And Richard Gere's character hires her and in the end… well, I won't ruin it for you. But she doesn't kiss on the mouth. That's what made me think of it," I explain. "You turned your head away when I tried to kiss you. You admitted you wanted to have sex with me but then you turned your head away."

"I pushed you away because we are not going to have sex. Regardless of whether I want to or not." Her cheeks redden with a blush. "What I mean to say is, I can't have sex with you. What's the point of having this bet if you just get your pay off anyway?"

"Then I guess I'll just have to change what I want," I suggest.

She bites her lip and seems to be considering it. "You can change it to whatever you want. But you're still not going to get to have sex with me," she says with a smile. And even if that's what she said, I know that's not what she means. Her cheeks blush and she can't look me in the eyes anymore. She is probably thinking about having sex with me right now. "Can we get up now?" she asks. "It's really cold and pretty wet," she changes the subject.

I pop up and offer her my hand, helping her up to her feet. "Say what you want," I shrug as I speak, changing the subject right back. "But by the end of the night I can guarantee that I will have gotten you off." I smirk. Assward was getting somewhere with her before. He just needs to be persistent.

She snorts softly as she laughs. "Are you kidding me? We're leaving right now. The only thing you will be getting me is home."

"You're crazy. We almost just died." I brush the snow and slush from my pants. "I'm not driving all the way back to Forks. One near death experience is good enough for me tonight."

"Then what the hell are we going to do?" she shouts at me. "What the hell am I going to do?"

"There is a hotel just down the street. My treat."

She growls as we start to walk to my car. "I hope your treat is that we'll be in separate rooms."

"Now where would the fun be in that?" I smirk and wrap my arm around her waist. She may have said that her ankle was fine but I can tell from her hobbling that it isn't. "We'll rent Pretty Woman so you don't have to be the only girl that hasn't seen it. We'll sleep and then we'll go home in the morning."

"What am I supposed to sleep in? Not this dress. Especially since it's all wet and gross," she whines, looking down at her ruined dress. "Alice is going to kill me."

"She'll forgive you. A ruined dress is better than being dead," I explain. "And who said you had to sleep in anything? I prefer to sleep in the nude anyway. It's very refreshing."

"You _will_ be sleeping in clothes," she informs me. "And so will I. In separate beds. Opposite sides of the room."

I smirk. "You'll change your mind."

"No, I won't," she snaps. And that is how we spend our drive to the hotel, bickering like an old married couple. And now she is insisting on arguing with the hotel concierge. "That is unacceptable," she says, shaking her head adamantly.

"I'm sorry, miss. But that is the only room we have available. I've checked three times. The hotel is all booked up because of the storm. It's the honeymoon suite or nothing."

"We'll take it," I butt in, handing the woman my credit card.

"Like hell we will!" Bella shouts. "In case you've forgotten, we're not married. We hardly even like each other," she angrily whispers to me.

The woman behind the desk hesitates. I shake my head. "We've had a very long evening, haven't we dear?" I ask wrapping my arm around Bella and flash my best smile to the woman. "You see, my girlfriend and I were almost hit by a car on our way home. We're very shaken up and would like a room for the night to calm down."

"I hate you," Bella angrily growls in my ear.

"Love you too, sweetie." I push my luck and kiss her on the top of the head.

The woman silently processes our transaction and hands us our card keys. "Enjoy your stay."

Bella snickers, "Hardly."

"Of course we will," I say. "Thank you."

**-Bella-**

When we get to the room I stand in the middle and stare in awe. The room is huge. There is an extra large Jacuzzi in the middle of the room shaped like a heart. A gigantic king sized bed beside it. A large TV. A fully stocked mini bar complete with a complimentary bottle of champagne. But it is missing a few very important things. There is no second bed, although I guess that is to be expected from the honeymoon suite. But there is also no couch. Just one huge bed for the two of us. "You're sleeping on the floor," I insist.

"I paid for the room. If anyone is sleeping on the floor, it's you," he counters. "It's a big bed, you'll hardly even notice me in there."

"Of course I'll notice, I hate you." That's a lie. I would like nothing more than to share this bed with you. And also have sex with you. Repeatedly. All night long. And probably in the morning too. And that's why I can't be in the same bed as you. I can't trust myself. As much as I really want to do all of those things. I can't. I can't let you win and have that satisfaction.

"We can sleep at opposite ends," he suggests.

"Gross," I groan. "So I can have your stinky feet in my face all night. I'll pass." Our argument is put on hold now for a staring contest. More like an angry glaring contest. He looks extra yummy when he is angry.

I end the contest so I can call Charlie and tell him I'm not coming home. He commends me for making such a responsible decision. He tells me that the roads are horrible and he's lost count on how many accidents he's had to respond to. I leave off the part where I almost got hit by a car and died. I also left off the part where I told him I wasn't actually out with Alice but her brother instead. Her absolutely perfect brother that I want nothing more than to fuck his brains out. While I am talking to Charlie, Edward calls his family. When we're both done, we resume staring at each other. "What do we do now?"

He sighs and steps towards me. "We get you out of this dress," he says, slipping his jacket off my shoulders.

"Excuse me?" I pull away from him.

"Like you said, you aren't sleeping in this dress."

"And like I also said, I'm not sleeping naked. And neither are you."

He rolls his eyes and laughs at me. "No one is going to be naked. I'll loan you my shirt for the night."

Is he actually being polite? He must be up to something. "What about bottoms?"

"I've seen you without pants before," he reminds me with a smirk. He takes off his button up and throws it at me. "And if for some reason you decide you do need some I guess I'll just go commando and lend you my boxers." He reaches for his belt buckle and I stop him.

"I think this will be fine," I say and hobble into the bathroom to change. My ankle is throbbing. I kick off my shoes and look at my ankle; it's a little swollen. Probably a sprain. I quickly change and walk out to find him sitting on the bed in nothing but his boxers. His body is just as perfect as his face. I think I might be drooling a little.

He sees me and lies flat on his stomach and pats the bed beside him. "I ordered us a movie. I figured we needed something to relax before going to sleep."

"The Jacuzzi would be relaxing too."

Edward raises an eyebrow. "A bath in the middle of the room?"

"Or a shower," I change my mind only after I envision me and Edward together in the Jacuzzi. "Not together of course. That would be awkward. You could go first and then I'd go…" my verbal diarrhea is back with a vengeance.

Edward laughs at me and again pats the bed. "Let's just enjoy the movie."

I hop over to the bed using my good ankle and slowly lie down beside him. A movie is a bad idea. We've already done one movie together today and I barely made it through. Now he expects me to resist his inexplicable charms when we're both lying in bed half-naked. This is going to be bad.

I stare at the TV waiting for the movie to begin. But Edward chooses to stall. "Bella, you look really tense," Edward says as he looks at me.

"Yeah," I nod. "Almost dying will do that to a person."

He smirks and sits up. "I think I can help," he says, placing his hands on my lower back. His fingers send a sharp chill through my entire body.

"What are you doing?" My voice is small and husky. I take a deep breath and try to forget all about Edward's hands on me. I won't give in to him that easily.

"I've been told that I give a very good massage. And you look like you could use it."

"I'm fine," I say, but my voice is so small I don't think he can hear it.

"Just relax, Bella," he says, his hands sliding up my back under the shirt he provided.

"Okay," I give in as his hands work some kind of magic on me. Every ounce of worry slips away with each delicate touch of his fingers. He is very good at this. A small moan escapes me and I hear him chuckle slightly. If he wasn't so good at this, I would yell at him and make him stop. But I am enjoying this very much. His fingers work out the knots in my shoulders and neck. All the stress of the day is withering away.

I can even feel heat and moisture begin to collect between my legs. He is almost _too_ good at this. I stifle another moan by burying my head in the mattress. His hands and fingers keep working on me and I am finding it difficult to breathe. With each passing second I am panting more and more. I am almost unable to keep myself quite. A few groans and hisses escaping me. If anyone were to pass our room they would swear we were having sex in here.

I bite down on the mattress to keep another moan at bay. The heat between my legs is almost unbearable. I would almost swear that this feels like… No. It's not possible. Is it?

His fingers find their way to a very dangerous spot as he massages my neck. I involuntarily arch my back as a sharp chill runs up my spine. How does this guy know all of my weaknesses? It's so not fair.

Every muscle in my body tenses. This seriously can't be happening. I grab two fistfuls of the bed sheet and clench it hard in my hands. I close my eyes tightly, biting down hard on the mattress and hope that it silences the guttural moan that I couldn't hold back.

Wow. I guess it is possible.

**-Edward-**

It's like a game. A very fun game that ends in sex every time. First, have a pleasant date together. Save her life (not required, it's just an added bonus that will make the sex even better). Get us the best hotel room possible. Get her into something much more comfortable. Get her into the mood. Get your hands on her. And all you have to do is connect the dots. Once you accomplish all of that, the sex will come easy. I've connected all the dots, now I'm just waiting for her to move us to the next level.

Bella's body is like putty under my expert hands. It didn't take long for her to agree to this. It is a fool proof plan. In school I took a class in massotherapy and it has more than paid for itself. I have been told that I give the best back massages, and from the sounds that Bella is making, she agrees. So all is going according to plan. No woman has ever been able to turn me down after this. My fingers gently kneading their backs always gets them in the mood. And Bella seems to be no different. She will be begging for me to fuck her in no time. I just had to keep this going until she did. My hands slide up and down her back skillfully, the shirt she's wearing hiking up with each stroke. Her ass is completely exposed. No wonder she was so worried about getting bottoms. Her bottoms couldn't really be considered as underwear. It was just a small scrap of navy fabric. I let my fingers travel farther down her back and gently give her cheeks a squeeze. She doesn't seem to notice. So I do it once more. This gets another small moan out of her. It won't be long now before she is begging for my fingers to be working the rest of her body.

I can feel myself growing hard with each muffled moan that escapes from her. It's very difficult for me to concentrate on this massage when all I can think about is finally getting to fuck Bella. If her soft moaning from a massage is having this kind of effect on me, what will having sex with her be like? "Edward," she moans softly.

"Do you want me to stop?" I ask, holding my fingers still. Tease her a little, make her want you more.

"No," she growls. "Keep going." Good sign. "You're doing a very good job." Her voice is husky and filled with passion that she is trying to keep at bay by biting the mattress. I don't know why she's fighting me so hard. It sounds like she wants it just as much as I do. I adjust myself so I am straddling her back, giving me easier access to her body. She seems to like it as another muffled sound makes it past her lips. I decide to press my luck and see if it gets me anywhere. As my fingers continue to work, I lean down and place a soft kiss on the back of her neck. Her body goes rigid under me. I press my luck by sinking my teeth into the nape of her neck and she still does not protest. If anything I get an even better reaction from her. Even her toes curl as she releases a heavy latent breath. She quickly rolls over and stares at me panting heavily. Her cheeks are flushed and she attempts to adjust her shirt and pull it down to cover herself but my hips and more importantly my erection are blocking her.

"How was it?" I arch a brow.

Her cheeks flush even more and she looks away from me. "Life changing," she explains.

"Did that help relax you?" I ask, still wondering why she isn't trying to rip my clothes off. This plan was foolproof. The massage has never failed before. She stares at be blankly for a moment before nodding her head. "It sounded like you were enjoying yourself."

Her cheeks blush bright red again. "You were good." Then why aren't we having sex? We're supposed to be having sex. "Very relaxing," she says as she nods. I guess I'm going to have to initiate something this time. I lean down ready to kiss her but she turns her head away from me again. "We're not going to have sex, Edward."

I sit straight up and stare at her. "What?"

"I'm not going to have sex with you," she says again.

"But…"

"But nothing," she rolls her eyes. "I've been telling you this since we met practically. We're not having sex. I think I'm just going to sleep."

"Sleep?" I question. "But I ordered us a movie."

"Probably porn," she sighs. "It's not going to help you have sex with me."

"It's not porn," I defend. "But if you're interested in porn I'm sure we could make one. I'm open to the idea. We'd have to get a camera so it couldn't be tonight. But we could just practice." I arch an eyebrow with suggestion. "I did promise to get you off tonight."

Bella rolls her eyes at me and laughs uncontrollably. "I'm not watching porn with you. I'm not making porn with you. And instead of getting me off, how about you just get off of me?" she suggests, pushing on my bare chest.

That is not how the night is supposed to go. Bella seems to be impervious to my charms. Every one of my moves has failed. I even tried to follow Alice's suggestions. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Bella pushes me again. "Sorry to disappoint you. No. Actually, I'm not sorry at all. I told you this was going to happen. I don't know why you got your hopes up," she says with a shrug. "I really don't know why you got your dick up because you really should have seen that one coming." I roll off of her and place a pillow in my lap. "I'm going to go to sleep. And you can take a cold shower to help with your little problem," she says, sinking into the bed and closing her eyes.

"You're staying in the bed?" I ask, hoping that she'll spontaneously change her mind if I just give her a little more time.

"Where else would I go?" she asks with a content sigh.

"I'm not giving up the bed," I remind her.

"That's fine," she says through a yawn. I guess that's at least some progress. We will technically sleep together so it's not a total loss. I just don't get to have sex. So it's just a really big loss. I really thought the back rub would have sealed the deal for us. She was certainly enjoying herself. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella." I smile at her and place a kiss on her forehead. She doesn't protest. I'm slowly wearing her down. Maybe I'll have better luck in the morning. I release a heavy sigh and make my way to the bathroom to release something else.


	10. 9: Just When You Think You're in Control

**Chapter 9**

**Just When You Think You're in Control**

**-Edward-**

I stared at Bella. She looks so different when she's asleep. She looks sweet and innocent, completely opposite of what she is awake. And the way the golden light of the morning is filtering in through the window behind her almost makes her look like the angels you see in movies, bright and glowing. But there is one thing that doesn't change while she's asleep, or probably ever; I still want to sleep with her. And not in the way that we slept together last night. Sharing a bed was nice. Bella is very warm and cuddly at night, not what I was expecting, but it was very nice. No, I don't want to just share a bed with her. I want to share her body. No, I don't even want to share it. I want to take complete control of it. I want to make her do things that no one else has been able to. I want to take her. I want to fuck her. I want to make her mine. At least for the night.

She is sleeping on her side, her knees folded up to her stomach, and her arms curled around her protectively. She has a sexy pout on her perfect lips. Her hair is perfectly messed to give it that sexy bedroom look. But by far the best thing about a sleeping Bella is the fact that even if she said we were both going to be sleeping fully clothed, she lied. At some point in the night she had slithered out of her shirt and thrown it across the room. And I was very appreciative of that. I had a chance to see her body before. The night of the party, where I almost won her over, she had stripped down but the room was dark. This was much better. I rested my hand on her hip and ran it up the soft curve of her body. She didn't so much as flinch.

And now came the second best thing about a sleeping Bella. She talks in her sleep. I was up most of the night listening to her talk. Sure my eyes were now burning from lack of sleep but there was plenty of time for that later. It's not every night I get to have a conversation with Bella's subconscious. And I was going to enjoy every second of it. Her sleep talking was interesting. Some of it was random and funny. Like when she declared her hatred for penguins because they were trying to take over the world and turn it into a desolate second ice age (which may have just been a result of her being cold and naked; once I put a blanket over her all talk of penguins ended). Some of it was educational. Like when she actually responded to all of my questions that I asked her. Her favorite color is blue. She likes hot fudge sundaes more than sex, but not much more. And she really does not believe in love. And then some of it, like right now, was just extremely erotic. I moved my hand from her body as she thrashed wildly. She kicked the covers from her sweaty body (so much for those evil cold making penguins). What I wouldn't give to see what was going on in her dreams. Was it me that was making her quiver and moan like that?

"Edward," she grunted between heavy pants.

I guess it was me that she was thinking of. If only she would act like that when she was awake. Or maybe she didn't need to be awake… Maybe she'll play along again. "What, Bella?" I asked whispering in her ear softly. "I'm right here." I again rested my hand on her hip.

"Oh, Edward," she sighed. "I need you…" she said, her voice a breathy whisper as her body continued to twist. "I need you…" she said again, turning her body to face me. Her brown eyes opened suddenly and she stared at me with the strangest mix of annoyance, playfulness, and hatred. "To stop being such a pervert," she said, the sexiness in her voice now gone. She pulled the sheet up over her naked form. Oh fuck, I guess I played that one wrong.

**-Bella-**

I was caught. I was sleeping peacefully wrapped up neatly in another dream where Edward was ravaging me mercilessly. And as the dream slowly started to fade out, I became aware that it wasn't all in my head. Somehow the words from my dream were actually coming from me. I let his name fumble from my lips. And there was no way to act like it didn't sound like what it was. It sounded just like me whispering his name during sex. No other way to explain it. So I got creative with it. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't what I wanted. It was just mean Bella playing a trick on an unsuspecting Edward. And it worked. Either I'm a better actress than I thought, or he's just really gullible. Or maybe he's setting me up for something way worse.

But I'm just going to assume that I got away with it. What the hell is wrong with this guy? I know I may have egged him on a little bit. But I didn't have a choice. It was either go through with it and finally have sex with him, which was really tempting, or let it play out like a wicked trick. I obviously chose the latter. But really? What the hell was he thinking?

"Were you really going to have sex with me while I was sleeping?" I shouted at him.

"No," he answered sheepishly. "You were awake."

"But you didn't know that," I reminded him. "That is so disturbing." I shake my head disapprovingly. I move to get out of the bed, suddenly feeling the need to put more space between Edward and I. I may have pretended it was a joke but that dream was still fresh on my mind. If I didn't get some much needed space between us I was going to make that dream a reality. I stand and the sheet I have wrapped around me falls. And I am naked underneath. Great. Just fucking great. "And you undressed me?" I shout. "You've taken perviness to a whole new level!" I pull the sheet around me again and stomp into the bathroom. Well, I try to stomp but mostly I fall to my knees. "Fuck!" I curse, grabbing at my ankle. I forgot about that.

"Bella?" Edward rushes to my side and quickly sweeps me off my feet placing me back on the bed. "You should really let my father take a look at that," he says softly as he gently rubs at my ankle.

"I told you, it was fine," I say with a roll of my eyes. "I just forgot that I need to take it slow." I brush him off and hobble my way to the bathroom.

Okay, so maybe I was being unfair to him. I know he probably didn't undress me. I have woken up after many nights and found myself naked when I went to bed fully clothed. At first I thought that instead of sleep walking I was sleep fucking and that frightened me. I got myself into enough trouble while I was awake, I didn't need to keep going while I was asleep. But after forcing Alice to keep a vigil over me while I slept, we discovered that I just sleep strip and according to Alice, it's not even sexy looking. And it usually happens at the worst possible times. Like when I'm crashing at the Cullen's house and Carlisle finds me naked on the couch, even though I have my own guest room. Or Alice finds me naked in her bed. Or on the rare occasion that I sleepwalk around the Cullen house and Emmett finds me. Or right now sleeping in the same bed as Edward. Right now is probably the worst time ever. What is it about the Cullens that make my clothes fall off at night?

I take my time in the shower and put my dress from last night on. I do my best to ignore Edward, who is now brooding. He looks very sexy when he broods. When doesn't he look sexy? After his shower he gathers his things and stands at the door. "Ready?" he asks.

"Yes," I respond. He is out the door before I even stand. What happened to the sweet Edward that saved my life last night? I think I pissed him off. Or maybe he's just embarrassed at himself for sneaking a peak at me. Or maybe he's ashamed that he tried to have sex with me while I was sleeping. I sigh and grab my purse, limping to the doorway.

Edward reappears and is immediately at my side. "I'm sorry," he says softly.

"For what?" I raise an eyebrow. "For almost leaving me here or forgetting to slip me a roofie before you tried to date rape me?"

He groans and I can see his vein popping out of his neck again. I have pissed him off. This is very easy and fun.

**-Edward-**

What is it about this girl that drives me so insane? One second all I can think about is fucking her every way possible. And then the next I want nothing more than to strangle her. Right now I am stuck in between.

I stare straight ahead, trying to pay attention to nothing but the road. But Bella is very distracting. "Bella, you are impossible," I huff. "I was not going to rape you. I was simply talking to you."

She rolls her eyes. "While I was sleeping? How was that working out for you?" she laughs at me.

"Actually it was going very well until you woke up," I say with a shrug. Two can play at this game. I don't elaborate yet. I wait until she begins to speak and then interrupt her. Welcome back Assward, you did a good job last night now it's time to take this one home. "Did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

"What?" she shouts, trying to act like she has no idea what I'm talking about but the terrified look in her eyes gives it away. "That's ridiculous."

I chuckle softly. "Your favorite color is blue."

She shrugs her shoulders. "Lucky guess."

"You like hot fudge sundaes," I keep going.

"Who doesn't?"

"You have an irrational fear that penguins are going to take over the world. I must admit, that one threw me off a little. But I think I figured it out."

"Really?" she laughs. "You think that one is going to convince me of anything?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Just letting you know all of the things you said last night. You have kissed a girl in the past but that doesn't make you a lesbian. It just makes you curious. That one I believe is an exact quote," I continue.

"I'm sure Alice told you that," she responds but her voice is wavering slightly.

"What else was there? You were actually terrified when Charlie surprised you with Woofus because you had goldfish when you were little and you always killed them. You couldn't even keep your mom's plants alive while she was traveling with Phil. You wondered if Woof would share the same fate."

Bella cringed and let out a heavy sigh. "Alright fine," she conceded. "I talk in my sleep, so what?"

A huge smile breaks out across my face. I have her right where I want her. I love when Assward gets his way. "What, you think that's all you said?"

"Why?" she says, panic rising in her voice. "What else did I say?" My smirk grows wider. Since she loves to piss me off, let's see how she likes the tables reversed. Let's try her patience. I keep my eyes on the road and remain silent. "Edward," she practically begs. "What else did I say?" I keep ignoring her until she grabs hold of my arm and shakes me lightly. Even with just a light shake it is difficult to drive.

"Would you like us to get in an accident," I nearly shout at her. "Because I've personally had enough excitement for this weekend."

She releases my arm and pouts. "I just want to know what I said."

"I think you know." I smirk again. This is a lot of fun. I should torture her more often.

Her face wrinkles in a cringe. "I have no idea," she says with uncertainty. "Just tell me. I really don't like suspense."

"I couldn't tell at all," I say through a laugh. "But I guess I'll be nice and tell you. It's only fair, you are the person who said it after all." I take a deep breath to draw out the suspense. "Well you really believe it when you say that you don't think love exists."

"That's it?" she shouts and smiles in relief. Sorry Bella, that relief will be short lived. I'm not done having fun with you yet.

"No, not at all." I say, letting my smirk spread. "At that point you were just getting started. You continued with some very interesting things." I watch her cringe again. I would love to know what she thinks she would have told me in her sleep. "You said that you would win the bet but that didn't matter." She looks to me and waits for me to continue. "Because it didn't matter if you loved me or not you still wanted to fuck me."

Her cheeks grow scarlet and she tries to hide behind a curtain of her brown hair. "That's stupid. I would never have said that." She might be saying that but that deep blush is telling me something else. I am wearing her down. I just have to keep fighting.

**-Bella-**

The rest of the ride to my house is quiet. He turns the radio up so we don't have to sit in awkward silence. And at some point his hand found its way to my knee without me knowing. And now we're parked in my drive. Charlie's cruiser is gone and I offer up a silent prayer for whoever will listen. I turn to Edward, unsure if I should thank him for the date or yell at him. Maybe even kiss him and runaway like a child. I think I'll go with a strange combination of the three.

"Thank you for saving my life," I say, offering him a smile. "But promise me that we'll never have to spend the night in a hotel room together again."

"I make no guarantees." He smiles. My breathing stops for a second as I study him. His green eyes sparkle when he smiles. And his hand is still on my knee gently rubbing soft circles. "Who know what will happen on our second date. A tornado? A hostage situation? WWIII? Maybe I'll have to perform CPR at some point? I will expect anything." Even his voice is mesmerizing. I should just give up. Stop fighting him. The next time he hints at sex I'm just going to go with it. I made it through a whole date. That's good enough.

I smile at him and lean in a little closer. "And thank you for the date. It was good up until the ankle sprain and almost dying."

"Are you sure you don't want my father to check you out?" he asks again. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind. And it would make me feel better." He's being polite Edward again. I don't know which one I like better. I guess bipolar Edward works. I can get the best of both worlds.

"No," I say shaking my head. "I'm fine. But you could help me inside. Charlie's gone and my ankle is still pretty sore. And there are a lot of steps up to my room." Read: my dad's gone so let's go up to my room and have wild sex!

Without a word he is out of his car and opening my door for me. He wraps his strong arms around my waist and helps me up the stairs. "I'll call you soon. We can set up our next date then." He turns his back on me and starts down the steps.

Really? He's not trying to get me into my bedroom and offering to help me get into something more comfortable? And then have sex with me? What the hell happened? "That's it?" I shout after him.

He turns back to me and smirks. "Our time together is up. You've put in your required date time. So what else would there be?"

What could I say to that? He was still under the impression that I hated him. "A kiss?" I offer. You can kiss someone that you hate. And isn't kissing now required after a first date?

He gives me his gorgeous half smile and shrugs sticking his hands in his pockets. "You told me in your sleep that you don't kiss on the first date."

"I did?" I don't remember that being a rule. That doesn't sound like me. I think I always kiss on the first date. I like kissing. Hell I'll even fuck on the first date.

I hear Edward laughing his way down the steps and close the front door behind him. I really thought there would be sex now. I grip the walls and hop my way to my door. I open the door and find Alice waiting for me in my bed. She eyes me expectantly, waiting for me to give her all the details of my evening out with her brother. "How long have you been here?" I ask, hoping to avoid the conversation she has been waiting for.

"I just climbed through the window," she says. "I have very good timing," she adds with a wink. "Now let's get back on track. You have that 'I've been fucked senseless' look about you," she says with an approving nod.

I sigh and sit on the bed beside her. "Oh, I'm senseless alright. But it's not because I've been fucked."

"What?" Alice snaps. "He'll fuck anything with a vagina and you'll fuck anything with a dick. How did there come to be no sex? Especially when it ended so perfectly in a hotel suite? I couldn't have done a better job planning it myself."

"It's complicated," I explain. "I wanted to. I really did. But I'm stronger than I thought." We sit in silence. "Then there was this incident where you're damn shoes made me sprain my ankle and almost get hit by a car. And that may have killed the mood. But then we he dropped me off I invited him in. Well, I asked if he would help me up the steps and into my room because my ankle is all fucked up. But I was going to have sex with him, not that we would have been able to since you're in my bed like some creepy stalker, but we didn't get that far because he walked away and left. There wasn't even a kiss. He just walked away," I said in one breath.

Alice stares at me wide eyed. "Wow. I don't know what you're saying."

"Our date goes as follows; we had dinner. We saw a movie. We didn't have sex. A freak snow storm hits. Your stupid shoes almost got us killed. We went to a hotel. We didn't have sex. He drove me home. We didn't have sex."

"You didn't have sex?" she questions almost in awe.

I give her the highlights of our date, ignoring the boring parts that were few and far between. And more importantly skipping over the parts that I wasn't ready to talk about yet. And she feels the need to ask me the same question again, "You didn't have sex?"

"How many times do I have to say it? We. Did. Not. Have. Sex." I annunciate every word slowly and carefully.

"How did that happen?" she wonders out loud and lies back on the bed. "It was perfect. I couldn't have planned it any more perfect," she sighs. "Edward must have fucked up. Where did he fuck up?"

I lie back on the bed with Alice. "Like I said, I invited him in not knowing you were already on my bed. I was just giving up because I can't keep fighting him off. It's harder than I thought. But he didn't take the bait. He walked away."

"But how did you guys not get it on last night? It was perfect!" Alice shouted. A smile spread across my face. "What does that look mean?"

"After we got to the hotel and we calmed down… things were going good."

"Good how?"

Time to offer more details of our evening. "He offered to give me a back massage."

Alice frowned. "How did that not lead to sex? That always leads to sex."

I groan and suck in my bottom lip. Under normal circumstances this would have probably been the first thing that I told her. She is my best friend and best friend rule clearly states that you tell your best friend everything. But she is also Edward's sister. And I don't know how those sibling rules work. Is she obligated to tell him things too?

"What?" she asks growing impatient. She hates suspense more than I do.

"You cannot say anything. Promise me this dies with you."

Her eyes grow even wider with the excitement. "Tell me now!" she demands.

"Not until you promise," I say shaking my head.

Her furrows her eyebrows. "Damn it! I love knowing secrets but I hate keeping them." I watch her struggle for a few minutes as she argues with herself. "Fine," she concedes. "I promise. I will keep my big mouth shut."

I take a deep breath, not sure how to explain myself. "I don't know how I got away with it. I thought it would have been very obvious but he didn't say anything and he's a smart ass so he would have if he knew," I start. "He is really good at giving massages."

"So why didn't that lead to sex?" she asks again.

How do I politely say this? Fuck being polite this is Alice we're talking about. "He's _really_ good at massages. Like, too good. Unbelievably good. Under normal circumstances we would have spent all night having sex."

"So what changed?"

"I really have no idea how it happened. I didn't think it was possible," I continued.

"Just spit it out!" Alice shouts at me. "You're killing me. The suspense is killing me," she whines.

"It was a normal back massage. He was a gentleman. His hands stayed on my back. But somehow it… He… Have you ever…." My story stalls. I don't really know how to say it. I feel kind of stupid and maybe a little embarrassed. "He... His hands stayed on my back but he still…" I continued to stutter. "Wow. This is going to sound stupid and make me really pathetic," I sigh loudly. "There was a happy ending," I finally admit sheepishly. "He was so good that I… had an orgasm without the sex." I say it more like it's a question than a statement. And I guess it was. I still didn't think that it was possible even though it had happened.

"Oh my God!" Alice shouts. "No fair. You're date was way cooler than mine!"


	11. 10: I Just Want Your Kiss

**Chapter 10 **

**I Just Want Your Kiss**

**-Edward-**

"Stupid fucking idiot asshole!" I curse to myself as I slam my car door shut and stalk into my house. I drove around town for nearly an hour cursing at my own stupidity before finally returning home. I wanted to avoid discussing my evening with Bella with my siblings. Alice will yell at me for screwing something up and Emmett will only laugh at me for not having my way with Bella yet.

I slam the front door closed behind me and I am greeted by an overly enthusiastic Alice (which is difficult to do since she is already frighteningly happy and hyper and enthusiastic enough) sitting on the couch reading a fashion magazine. "What's up?" she questions, her smile only growing wider. Damn it! That smile says it all. She already knows something. I paused, not able to move or give her an answer. Mostly because I am a stupid fucking idiot asshole, among many other things. "The date went that well?" she responds with sarcasm. "Didn't you follow my advice?"

"Did you follow mine?" Emmett's booming voice came from the hall as he sprinted into the room, sliding across the hard wood floors and stopping right in front of the couch. His goofy smile quickly fades. "You didn't get laid. Did you get her drunk?" He furrows his brow in thought as he sits down on the opposite end of the sofa as Alice. "I'm sure you did, this is Bella we're talking about. I thought that would work. It really should have worked. Oh, did you get her too drunk. I warned you about that! Though I really shouldn't have to. You've witnessed the projectile vomiting first hand."

I sigh and throw myself between my two siblings. It's pointless. I know I can't hide anything from these two. But I am still being a stupid fucking idiot asshole and really don't want to talk to them yet, I decide to go for the abridged version. "Date OK. Bella almost got hit by a car. We stayed in a hotel. Didn't get laid. Didn't even get a fucking kiss."

"It's your own fault!" Alice snaps then quickly throws her hand over her mouth. I don't know why she tries to lie to me and Emmett, us siblings are know each other too well for that shit. "I'm sure it is. It always is," Alice explains sheepishly. Emmett and I both turn to Alice and she refused to look at us for a moment before finally breaking down. "Fine!" she pouted. "Bella told me everything."

"Not cool," Emmett says flatly. "I know that bitches like to gossip," Emmett doesn't so much as flinch when Alice smacks him as hard as possible for her when he gestured towards her while he said the word 'bitch'. "But you can't keep this shit from me like this. It's like a dude rule. And a brother rule. Bro's before ho's, remember? We don't need to get all gross and weird and cry and talk about our feelings and shit. But Alice should _not_ know things before me. It's just not right."

I roll my eyes and sigh. "Em, Alice always knows shit before you. And me too for that matter. She's some kind of genius. Or psychic. Genius psychic maybe is a good word for it."

"That's beside the point," Emmett huffs. I hate to see his wrath when I tell him that his vagina is showing. "I'm your brother and she is only Bella's best friend. I have priority. I need to know things first."

"I will do my best," I concede. Arguing with Emmett is just as pointless as arguing with Alice. I always lose. And to at least start to make up for whatever dude/brother rule I have inadvertently broken, I decide to give him a much better description of my evening. Alice keeps adding her two cents and Emmett keeps asking questions so it takes over an hour to get through it. His brows were furrowed and his expression very pensive as he listened. If I had to guess, I would say that he hasn't been laid in awhile either. Not having sex, does not go over so well with us Cullen boys and Cullen girl too, but I try not to think of that. She is my baby sister after all.

And after Emmett hears my side of the story, Alice decides to tell Bella's side of the story. I can tell from her wicked smirk that she is hiding some things. I will have to press her for more information later. I know I will never be able to get it out of her in front of Emmett. But she ends her side of the story with a little piece of information that makes me start cursing all over again.

"You mean to fucking tell me that all I had to fucking do was to fucking try and she would have fucked me? The one time is isn't fucking teasing me and shit. Fuck! I walked away from a fucking kiss and she would have fucking fucked me!"

"Dude," Emmett chuckles. "That sucks."

I groan loudly in frustration and get to my feet. "Fucking asshole! God damn stupid mother fucking idiot asshole!" I stomp to the door.

"Where are you going?" Alice calls after me.

"To fuck Bella!" I slam the door behind me.

**-Bella-**

I was going to kill something.

Sure, I had gone longer periods of time without sex before. I had gone weeks and months before without it affecting me much. But over the course of the few weeks I have known Edward and not gotten laid have driven me mad. Stark raving mad. I need to fuck someone. Or need to kill someone. It didn't matter which it was really, each would keep me preoccupied for a good length of time and help me to get rid of my excess energy. But only one would send me to jail. And I really don't want to go to jail. Charlie tried to scare me by taking me to county jail while trying to show me what my future would look like after he caught me drinking at a party when I was fifteen. You can see how well that worked out for me. But how often is it that underage drinking leads to a life of crime? But I digress. The point is, I've seen prison and I am not made for prison. So sex it is.

I could call Edward. But that would mean me admitting to defeat. No, I am not in love with him. That is never going to happen. But I did also tell him that I am never going to have sex with him. And sure, I want to. I really really want to. But I will not give in. Not today. Not right now. I will save that for those moments where he exudes raw sex from his every pore and just jump him and have my way with him. Damn it! Now I've gotten myself all worked up again. Fuck this guy!

Let's explore other options… I could go out and find me a strange hot boy to help me with my little problem. But it's the middle of the day and trolling for guys like this would be a little awkward. And trolling itself would be difficult considering the ankle situation.

So my final option is to call Jake. I think I sent the 'I need you' text before I even really considered it. And twenty minutes later he burst through my bedroom door, a frantic look on his face. "What's wrong? What do you need?" Oh, what a sweetheart. He thought I actually needed him and not just…his body.

I smile at him. I must behave. Last time I wanted to use him for sex, things got messy. "Two things," I start. "I had a bad night. I was out with a friend and I sprained my ankle. So I'm kind of stuck inside all day."

"Bells," he sighs as he sits on the bed beside me. "How bad is it?"

"Just a little tender. It should be all better in a few days if I stay off of it." I shrug. "But I wanted someone to keep me company. You know how bored I get all by myself," I try to subtly use my sexy voice as I bat my eyelashes at him.

"So you need me to entertain you?"

I shrug. "Something like that."

"You should have told me that before I got here. I would have rented a movie and picked up some food."

Uh, he is so clueless sometimes. I scoot closer to him. "I'm sure we could find another way to pass the time."

"What?" he shrugged. "Because last time I offered to play a board game with you, you said that it was lame."

Really? Do I have to spell this out for him? "I wasn't talking about a board game, jackass! I was trying to insinuate that… Fuck it!" Words just simply were not going to cut it with this guy. So I used my lips in another way. I pressed my lips to his and I think he got the point after that.

Jake pulls away. "Is it always about sex with you?" he utters breathlessly.

"Are you really complaining about my insatiable desire for your body?"

"My body?" He arches an eyebrow. Mmmm, his body. His body is delicious. "Bella, you are impossible. You tell me that we're just friends and then in the next breath you want to fuck me." I pout. How many times to I have to explain it to him.

"Just shut up and fuck me," I whine, pressing myself onto him once again.

But he again pushes me away. "Is it me you want? Is it just sex you want? I just don't get it."

"Jake, does it really matter? You have a half naked woman begging you to fuck her and you're asking questions. Fuck now. Ask those questions later." I move to kiss him again but he resists. Fuck this boy too! Why will no one suddenly have sex with me? "You're a great friend. One of my best friends really. Really you're only one of two friends that I do have. And we're young and we enjoy sex. So why don't we just enjoy it together? Isn't that what friends do? Find a mutual interest and do it together?"

"Did you really just compare…" I cut him off with an icy death glare. "I just want to know what is going on here. Billy has been giving me a hard time since he walked in on us the other night. And I realized that I don't know how to explain our relationship. Are we friends? Are we more? I know you say that there isn't more but… Shit, Bella! I don't know. You've got me so damn confused." He's totally killing the mood again. "I just don't want… I don't want to be that guy. I don't want to use you."

"Trust me," I scoff. "No one would think of it as you using me if I'm the one calling you and begging for it."

"So you're using me?" Damn it. Can't a girl just have sex without things getting complicated?

"Look, Jake. We're friends. Great friends. I like you. A lot. But only in that best friend sort of way. We can't be more. I don't want to be more. And it's not because of you or anything like that. I just don't want more from anyone. I'm single and I want to remain single. I just still need sex. Where better to get it than from my best guy friend." I shrug. Please let this work. I'm going to explode if I don't get laid soon. "Do you see me calling up any other guys when the mood strikes me?"

"Good enough," he says before finally returning to where we left off. Clothes were thrown to the floor. Hands were getting to work. And much to my delight, it was all happening very fast. I pushed Jake onto his back and straddled him. I was a woman on a mission. And nothing was going to get in my way this time.

Nothing except for the sound of my bedroom door opening. Fuck. My body stiffened immediately. I was so close. I hovered so close to Jake's body I could feel his heat burning between my legs.

I really was going to kill something.

I heard the heavy footsteps enter the room. Jake's fingers dug into my hips in warning. I was fucked. My body froze so close to its final target. "Is it Charlie?" I whispered to Jake. "Because if it's Charlie you should go. Quickly. He has guns and he will not be afraid to use them."

"It's not Charlie," Jake responded, his eyes fixed on our intruder.

"Is it Alice?" I tried again. "Because if it is just ignore her, she'll go away…eventually."

"It's not Alice," Edwards gravely voice answers. "But feel free to ignore me too. I'll go away… eventually."

It was an awkward moment in the room. It seems to last hours where no one so much as breathed. Jake was the first to react. He pushes me off of him and as graceful as ever, I fell to the floor. First, he glared at Edward. Then, he directs his icy glare on me. "So you don't go calling up other guys when the mood strikes you?" He rolls his eyes and covers his body. "Why do I even bother with you, Bella? Have you ever once told me the truth?" he shouts as fumbles to put on his clothing.

"Jake," I sigh getting to my feet again. "It's not like that." I gently grab his arm and try to calm him.

"Fuck, Bella. I fall for your shit every time," he curses and swats away my arm.

"Jake, let me explain." I throw a T-shirt over my head quickly. It's about five sized too big so it must be the one article of clothing that Jake is missing. I get to Jake's side again but he pushes me aside. I stumble back a few steps before my sore ankle gives out of me and I fall to the floor, again.

And then the strangest thing happens. Before I could even get off the floor Edward is rolling up his sleeves and charging across the room. "What the fuck are you doing?" He gets so close that their noses are practically touching. "You like to hit girls?"

"Edward, no!" I shout, finally getting to my feet and trying to separate the two men. "It was an accident. My ankle. I sort of tripped."

"It didn't look like you tripped. It looked like he fucking pushed you."

"If I wanted to push anyone, it would be you," Jake responds. His hands press against Edwards's chest and pushes. Edward counters with a quick jab. And soon all hell breaks loose. There are grunts, blood and they may have broken a few things. And to any girl out there that has ever fantasized about two guys fighting over her. It's really not that great. I don't recommend it. It's not sexy at all.

"That's enough!" I shout, surprising myself with how loud I was. And even more surprising, they both listen. They freeze in an awkward hug-like position. I pull Jake away and offer him a sympathetic glace. "Jake, you should go. Obviously this was a bad idea."

"Yeah," he huffs, wiping the blood from under his nose with the back of his hand.

"I'll call you later," I sigh as he stalks to the door dressed only in his jeans.

"Don't bother," he pouts as he slams the door behind him.

"Well," I force a chuckle, hoping that it would lighten the mood. "That was awkward."

**-Edward-**

It was just barely after noon and my head was already spinning from the ups and downs. Waking up with Bella…good. Hearing I could have had her but walked away… bad. Making up my mind to go and get the girl… great. Find her in bed with another guy… really bad. The pressure building up around my eye that would sure leave it black…even worse.

I'm not even sure if I fully transpired but I can try. I left my house high on confidence. I knocked on the door and got no answer. I should have just turned around but instead I tried the door and I opened. I stepped in and called her name with no answer. I walked up the steps, knowing I was invited in once already so she shouldn't be mad about it. And when sex is on my mind, like it was, all logic and reasoning is thrown out the window. I didn't pause for so much as a second as I opened the door. And much to my surprise, I found that the real reason she wasn't interested in spending the night was because she already had a guy for that. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all it only makes sense. The only reason she could resist me and my charms was because she was attached. What a scamming little bitch! Still, I should have gotten the girl, I always get the girl. Even if she has a boyfriend. I'm a way better catch than any other guy out there.

My common sense should have kicked in by then and I should have left. I should have just kept my mouth shut and left. Moved on with my life. Gone back to school and forgotten all about the girl. But my feet never got the message and kept me standing in place watching them fight. And for the first time in my life I found myself fighting for a girl. Not a physical fight, well not yet at least, but I was preparing to find a way to make her chose me over this guy. I was fighting for her and she was ignoring me to fight for him.

The first time he touched her and swatted her hand away from him, I was angry. But it doesn't take much to set off my temper. I let it pass because we've all been there before. And only because Bella didn't so much as flight did I let him use that one free pass. But the next time when he pushed her to the ground, I couldn't let it pass. My anger bubbled up and an epic battled again started all because of a girl. We each got in a few good shots. He tagged my right eye pretty good and I think I may have broken his nose before it turned into a grappling match that Bella quickly broke up.

I prepared for the wrath of Bella, that I was already getting to know, but it never came. She had stopped fighting for him and sent him packing, even if it was apologetically. Finally, it looked like I was going to win the girl. Not nearly as much work as I thought it would take. The only problem was, I was too angry to give a damn.

We both sat on her bed silent for a long time. My anger was still there burning white hot when Bella did the most unusual and unexpected thing. She burst out laughing. And not just any laugh but the loud and hysterical kind. This was shaping up to be worse than that whole Saint Eugene's fiasco. But that's another story for another time, or if I'm very lucky everyone will forget all about that. But getting back to the point…I was expecting tears or anger. I knew how to deal with those. I was used to those. Any man who loves women as much as I do knows how to gracefully tiptoe around their delicate emotions. I've mastered it having put myself in much worse situations. But this laughter thing… I had no clue. And that left me even more enraged.

And that's when I snapped. "Maybe you could enlighten me on what's so funny because I clearly don't see the humor in the situation."

"Uhh," she stammered as her laughter subsides. "We should probably work out some sort of system so this doesn't happen again. Knocking perhaps. Or you could just never enter my room again. Or better still… not break into my house anymore!" I swear that her voice sounds almost angry with me. Like she has anything to be mad about! She wipes away the tears of laugher from her cheeks and I just glare.

"I don't think we'll be needing a system," I inform her, trying to make my voice sound harsh, angry but still sexy all at the same time.

Her eyes grow wide. "Does that mean you're giving up? I win?" She bounces excitedly on the bed.

We must be having a serious communication issue. "Never." I flash her a cocky grin. "I just don't think you'll be seeing much of Jake any more."

"Oh, he'll get over it." She waves her had dismissively.

"Even if he does…" I release a sigh. Do I have to spell it out for her? Really? This is getting a little bit ridiculous. "Let's just finalize the details of this bet of ours, shall we?"

"We already have," she says, her voice laced in anger. "I am forced to spend time with you on a regular basis. I have already completed my obligation for this week I think. So after this, I think you should leave. We have one year. If I fall in love with you, you win a passionate night between the sheets with me. If I don't fall in love with you and your lame attempts, I win and I get whatever I want out of you. I think that about sums it up."

"I think that list is a little incomplete. We really should add a few more things."

"No fair!" she shouts. "You can't just keep adding things. We've already agreed on what we have!"

"No sex," I say nonchalantly over her ramblings.

She immediately silences and gives me an angry glare. "Excuse me?"

"It's only fair. I mean, technically we are kind of supposed to be dating so we shouldn't be having sex with other people."

"Not happening," she protests.

I keep going, ignoring her complaints. "I know you're new to this relationship thing but that's kind of how it works."

"No way. I never said we could date. That's bull shit! I am not going along with this."

"It's kind of already in our rules. We agreed to date each other."

"No! No, no, no. I didn't agree to that. I would _never_ agree to that."

"Yes, you did. What do you think going on dates meant?"

"No. I refuse."

"Then you lose. So get naked and let's do this thing."

"No!" she shouts, pushing me away. "I am not losing this bet."

"Then you agree to the terms?"

"Absolutely not! I will not stop having sex just because you are warped and think we're dating."

"I'm not asking you to give up sex. I'm asking you to give up sex and dating with other men. Because that's what I'm for. And I am more than willing to help you out."

"You're disgusting." She rolls her eyes at me. "I've told you before. I am _never_ having sex with you."

Another long pause fills the room. "Bella, you agreed to give me a chance. If you're seeing other guys… it doesn't work. So if you're serious about this bet than it's the only logical solution. Agree, disagree whatever." I shrug and slowly begin to lean in closer to her. "The end result is still going to be the same. I will win. By default, forfeit or actually getting you to love me." I lower my voice to a husky growl. "So we can do this now or we can do this later. But I am going to fuck you and you are going to love it." My nose brushes up against hers. I can hear her breathing quicken. "And you will beg me for more."

**-Bella- **

I hate him. I really hate him. I can't even begin to describe how much I hate him.

Why did I ever make this stupid bet in the first place?

"So what do you say?" he growls at me. Growls! It's low and rough and sexy and I like it. I really like it. "Do you want me now or later?" Now sounds good. Really, really good. But can I give up that easily? Who am I kidding? I will explode if I don't get laid soon. If I can't weasel my way out of this bet, it's not a matter of if we have sex, it will be when. But who says I can't have fun until then.

I smile and slowly position myself in his lap. "There's just one small problem with that," I say, pressing on his chest and forcing him to lie on his back. I bring myself down to him, making sure to press my breasts against him as I whisper in his ear. "If I have sex with you now, it would be like admitting defeat. What's the point of making a bet just to agree to the conditions no matter what the outcome?" I slowly grind my hips against his and immediately regret it. In all the commotion I forgot that I was only wearing Jacob's oversized T-shirt and that I was grinding against Edward's very prominent erection. And holy fuck did it feel good!

My quick and unexpected actions had Edward's eyes rolling back in his head as he groaned loudly. "Fuck the bet," he growls, his hands holding my hips and trying to force me to grind against him again.

I place my index finger over his lips and bat my eyelashes. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Don't be so coy, Bella." Edward rolls his eyes. "The only reason I came back was because Alice-"

My eyes grow wide. "She told you?" I scream. That little bitch told him about his magical backrub! I am going to kill her! "So much for the best friend rule!" I smack him in the chest and sit up.

"Come on, like I didn't know already." He chuckled. "Now come back here," he says, pulling at the hem of the T-shirt.

"Don't touch me you perv!" I smack him again. "I can't believe you didn't say anything! And I can't believe she told you! I am just so… Urgh!" I pull on the ends of my hair. "Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable! And to think, I was actually considering…"

"You home, Bells?" My rant is interrupted by Charlie, walking in downstairs.

"Are you kidding me?" I mouth. "I can't finish anything around here."

"Bells!" Charlie called again.

Edward sits up and smirks at me. "Do you want to get out of here?"

"With you? Are you joking?" I laugh.

Edward's smirk only grows wider. "You have two options. Come with me or explain to your father why there are men's unmentionables on your floor, your half naked and the room reeks of shame and sex."

Shit! He has a point. "Window! Quickly! I don't know if you've heard or not but Charlie-"

"Has a gun and isn't afraid to use it. Yeah, I got that." He rolls his eyes. "Come on." He grabs the rest of Jacob's clothes from the floor and rushes to the window.

"I want to make this clear that I am only going with you because Charlie frightens me in situations like this and I am not done yelling at you. It has absolutely nothing to do with wanting to have sex with you."

"So you do want to have sex with me?" He grins.

"Bells, is that you?" Charlie calls again.

"Hurry up! This is going to look even worse if he sees me half naked and sneaking a boy out my window!"

This is such a horrible idea. The freezing November air hits me like a bullet. And I need clothes before I freeze to death. I turn back but he stops me and drags me along behind him. "We'll get you some new clothes if we can get away from your dad."

"Oh," I sigh. His idea is way better than mine. "Would this count as a date? Because two in a row seems a bit excessive."

"If you don't shut up we're going to get caught." He laughs as he shimmies down the gutter. "I feel like I'm back in high school, sneaking out of the dorms after hours."

"Really? This is like an average Saturday for me."

"You still sneak out? You're an adult and you still feel the need to sneak out of the house like a kid?"

"Did I mention the gun?" I laugh, jumping to the ground and wincing at the sudden burst of pain in my ankle. I almost forgot about that. But the good news is that I'm ankle deep in snow so by the time I get to the car I won't be able to feel my feet, let alone my bad ankle. But right now, my feet are fucking freezing and my ankle is throbbing. But I can't seem to erase the smile from my face. Edward expertly stalks across the yard as I hobble clumsily. He looks back and rolls his eyes at me.

"You're hopeless," he sighs before walking back and taking me into his arms. His very nice and really strong arms. He carries me out to the street to where his car is parked.

He gets me into the car quickly and blasts the heat. He rummages through his backseat and throws a few things at me. "It's the best I can do for now," he says with a shrug. I look to the pile on my lap; one black winter hat, one matching scarf, one pair of the ugliest men's snow boots I have ever seen and lastly a pair of men's boxers.

I begin to dress in a hurry, welcoming the slight heat that it offers me. But I stop at the boxers. I hold them out in front of me and stare them down with unease. "Are they clean?"

"Probably not,"

"Do I want to know what they're doing in your back seat?" I cringe at the thought.

"Probably not." He smiles.

"I will make it known that the only reason I am doing this, is because your leather interiors though they look fantastic make it feel like I am sitting on a block of ice." I cringe and slip into them. "I am going to need to take the longest and hottest shower after this to sterilize."

"So you want to have sex with me but wearing my underwear is crossing the line." He chuckles and shakes his head.

"Shut up!" I shout and sink lower into my seat. "And I don't want to have sex with you," I add as an after thought.

"So you say." He shrugs. "But I know better."

"More driving and less talking. We need to get me some clothes. I'm fucking freezing."

He peaks at me out of the corner of his eye. "I'm kind of liking this look you've got going on now. But I did like it much better before the boxers."

"It's kind of creepy, right?" I can't hold back the laughter anymore. And I don't know if it was because the situation was so funny or it was all I could do to keep from being completely grossed out.

"A little," he admits. "I always thought that a woman dressed in my boxers would be a turn on but…"

"You're not helping." And in the moment where I glared at him I couldn't help but to kiss him. I don't know what it is but I leaned in and my lips found his. And it wasn't like how our kisses have been, intense and heavily laced with sexual desire. It was soft and slow and spectacular. It wasn't about sex or teasing or getting my way. It was just a kiss. And it wasn't like a quick little peck. It was a full on kiss. Tongues were involved. His hands didn't wander south but stayed at my face and tangled in my hair. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. When we both pulled away, breathless we locked eyes for a moment in a questioning gaze. "We should go," I whisper, finally looking away. "Before Charlie notices."

"Yeah," Edward agrees and pulls away.

What the fuck just happened? Did I just kiss Edward with no motive? No games. No ploys. No strings attached. It was just a kiss. The kind that people in relationships have. Fuck! I'm far from being in love but this still screams trouble. And the worst part is that I liked it. And I can never let it happen again.


End file.
